Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions she has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on inclusion of education policy and oversight in the Northern Powerhouse Initiative.

The initiative announced by the Chancellor of the Exchequer includes £10 million to boost academy sponsorship in the North of England. As the Chancellor and the Secretary of State for Education confirmed in February 2015, Regional Schools Commissioners will use this investment to tackle educational disadvantage by: enabling the best local academies to share their excellence in sponsoring underperforming neighbouring schools; developing the capacity of existing sponsors to keep pace with new demands; and harnessing the expertise of some of the very best academy sponsors from across the country.

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/pupils-in-the-north-to-benefit-from-injection-of-expertise

In addition, the devolution deal with Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA), announced by the Chancellor on 3 November 2014, saw the Secretary of State make a commitment for the Department for Education and other government bodies to work with GMCA to re-commission further education in the city.