Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what steps he is taking to progress funding for the Mid South West and Causeway Coast and Glens growth deals; and for what reason those projects have been paused.

I understand the enormous importance of the City and Growth Deals in Northern Ireland for economic growth.

However, we are facing a £22 billion black hole in the public finances. Many of the City and Growth Deals have decades’ worth of funding attached so it is right that we consider any remaining deals that haven’t been signed yet in the round at the Spending Review, as we are doing with other long-term funding programmes. In Northern Ireland, this includes both the Mid South West and the Causeway Coast and Glens Growth Deals.

My officials and I continue to work closely with the four council areas, their officials and the Department of Finance to develop a compelling case for the Deals, in the run up to the Autumn Budget, and I recently met representatives of the Deals to discuss the matter.

The Chancellor and Chief Secretary to the Treasury will provide certainty over the remaining Deals following phase 1 of the Spending Review which will conclude on 30 October.