Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what recent steps he has taken to promote regional growth and create a Northern Powerhouse.

Rebalancing the economy by creating a Northern Powerhouse is part of our long-term economic plan, to pool its strengths and become greater than the sum of its parts. This could add £44bn to the Northern Economy by 2030, or £1,600 per person living there -in real terms. Our £20 million investment in Health North will make a valuable contribution to these efforts.

Complimenting this, on 1^st June my Rt hon Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced proposals for making the Midlands an Engine of Growth. Working with Local Enterprise Partnerships across the Midlands, we are seeking to align investments and devolve decision-making, to create the strongest possible environment for economic growth across the region.