Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what progress has been made on establishing a Culture and Community fund as committed to in Annex A of the New Decade New Approach Deal; and what the eligibility criteria will be to access that fund.

Since the New Decade, New Approach (NDNA) deal was reached in January 2020, the UK Government has provided £2 billion in funding to support the implementation of the agreement and has continued to make good progress on delivering these commitments. This includes a £1 billion Barnett-based investment guarantee from the UK Government, which will include significant new funding to turbocharge infrastructure investment. This guarantee will apply in all circumstances, and allow the Executive to plan new investment over a five-year period.

The UK Government and Northern Ireland Executive have recently agreed to the allocation of £40 million of unique circumstances funding as part of our commitment to the New Decade, New Approach Agreement. The UK Government remains committed to providing funding for the establishment of a Culture and Community Fund and we are currently reviewing options with regards to the delivery of the fund and the eligibility criteria.