Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what recent discussions his Department has had with (a) community and (b) voluntary organisations in Northern Ireland on the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

The Department established the Northern Ireland UK Shared Prosperity Fund Partnership Group earlier this year to advise it as it develops an investment plan for the fund in Northern Ireland. It includes representative groups for key sectors, including the voluntary and community sector, business, higher education and skills and local authorities, as well as the Northern Ireland Office.

Voluntary and community organisations currently represented on the Northern Ireland Partnership Group are the Northern Ireland Council for Voluntary Action (NICVA) and Chief Officers Third Sector (CO3). Its overall membership will be reviewed on conclusion of the Investment Plan process to ensure that the right mix of knowledge and experience is in place as the fund moves into its delivery phase.

DLUHC officials also hosted two engagement events in collaboration with NICVA and CO3 with attendance from over 150 community and voluntary organisations. Officials sought views on opportunities for UKSPF investment in Northern Ireland, and feedback and insight from these events has been used to inform the UKSPF Investment Plan for Northern Ireland. Alongside this, DLUHC officials have also had a number of individual meetings with specific community and voluntary organisations and their representatives.