Question to the Scotland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what discussions he has had with the Scottish Government and local authorities on the use of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund to promote and develop rural resilience in areas classified as remote rural and very remote rural.

I am responding as the matter of Scotland's Rural Economy falls within my portfolio. I take the matter of sustainable rural development very seriously and I regularly discuss this matter with colleagues in the Scottish Government and Local Authorities, including in a visit to the Isle of Lewis shortly after my appointment as Minister.

The UK Government recognises the importance of tackling rural depopulation, and we are committed to supporting these communities by boosting investment and opportunities.

The UK Government is ensuring that up to 60,000 young people across Scotland have real pathways into work, whether that's in our growing renewables sector, in construction trades that are crying out for skilled workers, or in hospitality. The Government has also recently committed £10 million towards the creation of Defence Technical Excellence Colleges (DTECs) as part of the £50 million Scotland Defence Growth Deal. Defence is a key sector for providing skilled jobs across all parts of Scotland, from Faslane to Lossiemouth.

This UK Government’s Industrial Strategy sets out how we will grow our economy by doubling down on our national strengths, despite global uncertainty. This includes investing in Scotland’s huge contribution to the UK economy: in energy, defence, advanced manufacturing, life sciences and other sectors. We are also backing the world-class food and drink that so often originates in rural Scotland through our trade agreement with India and, shortly, the European Union.

The UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) has now come to an end across the UK following a year of transition funding in 2025/26, and we are now providing new targeted investments to areas that need it most.

The UK Government is committed to supporting long-term economic growth and is investing £350m for projects that benefit remote rural and very remote rural areas. This includes: £60m for Community Regeneration Partnerships for Argyll & Bute, Scottish Borders, and the Western Isles; £47m to complete Local Regeneration Fund projects in rural areas, including the Fair Isle Ferry, and projects across Scottish Borders, Dumfries and Galloway and rural South Lanarkshire; £25m seed capital funding for the Inverness and Cromarty Firth Green Freeport; £60m in Pride in Place Programme funding across Sutherland, Orkney, and Lewis; and £158m to complete delivery of the Inverness & Highland, Moray, Argyll & Bute, Borderlands, and Islands Growth Deals. This Government is backing rural Scotland.

It must be noted, however, that responsibility for many of the issues faced in rural Scotland - such as provision of housing, transport, infrastructure, digital connectivity, training and skills development - are devolved matters that come under the control of the Scottish Government. We will continue to work with them to ensure that the actions that both governments take will benefit all of the people of Scotland, including those in rural communities.