Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will make an assessment of the effect of his policies on reducing the gap between the richest and the poorest areas in the UK since 2010.

This Government has made significant progress in addressing the gaps in productivity across the UK. Since 2010, £12 billion has been allocated to local areas via the Local Growth Fund; 10 Devolution Deals have been agreed, further shifting the balance of power away from Whitehall; and £2.6 billion worth of private sector investment has been attracted to Enterprise Zones across England.

Since March 2010, 57% of the rise in employment across the UK has come from outside London and the South East, and 69% of that rise in employment has come from outside London. That means there are over 1.3 million more people in work outside London, and over a million more outside London and the South East since March 2010.

Birmingham is an excellent example of growth occurring outside of London and the South East. More foreign businesses invested in Greater Birmingham & Solihull in 2014/15 than any other LEP region, and the LEP area attracted 73 new FDI projects; investors included world-famous brands such as Jaguar Land Rover, KPMG, Virgin Media and Amazon.

The Industrial Strategy, which my department is delivering, is a critical part of my Rt Hon Friend the Prime Minister’s vision of an economy that works for everyone, where the benefits of growth are shared up and down the country.