Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to improve productivity in Yorkshire and the Humber.

People across Yorkshire and the Humber are benefiting from investment that this Government is making to support productivity. There are now 225,000 more people in employment in Yorkshire and the Humber than in 2010 and close to 69,000 more businesses.

For example, at Spring Statement we announced the first allocation of the competitive element of the Transforming Cities Fund. This included over £6.4 million in funding for the Sheffield City Region and the West Yorkshire Combined Authority. In addition, the Government has allocated more than £1.3bn from the Local Growth Fund to support economic activity across Yorkshire and the Humber. We are also continuing to back the Northern Powerhouse. At Budget 2018, we committed to a refresh of our ambitious Northern Powerhouse strategy for this year and we also announced up to £37m development funding to support Northern Powerhouse rail, which will connect cities across the North with faster, more frequent services, boosting regional productivity.