Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what support officials in his Department have provided to the Tees Valley Mayor in discussions with investors on the takeover of PD Ports’ facilities in the Tees Freeport.

Officials in my Department are in ongoing discussions with the successful locations announced at Budget. These discussions are focused on agreeing Governance arrangements and assisting these locations to further develop their proposals in the lead up to the submission of their Outline and Full Business Cases. As Freeports Policy incorporates a vast range of policy levers, officials within other Government Departments will also be involved in discussions with the successful locations.