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

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps the Government plans to take to increase levels of investment in (a) infrastructure and (b) technological innovation in the North East over the next five years.

The objective of Government’s Industrial Strategy is to increase productivity and drive growth across the United Kingdom. We have provided a framework to build on the strengths of different places and address the factors that hold others back. This will include investing in key infrastructure projects, increasing skill levels, and backing local innovation strengths.

In the North East the Industrial Strategy will build on the £379.6m million Local Growth Fund awarded to the North East LEP as part of their Growth Deal, which will see investment in significant infrastructure projects such as the International Advanced Manufacturing Park, and in new technologies at the Centre for Innovation in Formulation. The Growth Deal will bring an estimated 8,200 jobs and up to £300 million of public and private sector matched investment to the area.