Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

What recent discussions he has had with the (a) Secretary of State for Scotland and (b) Scottish Government on the allocation of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

The UK Shared Prosperity Fund is a core part of our Levelling Up agenda and I regularly speak to my ministerial colleagues about the fund. My officials regularly engage their counterparts in the devolved administrations to discuss any updates, concerns or queries.

The UK Government will continue to engage the devolved administrations and local partners as we develop the fund's investment framework and in advance of its publication.

I am pleased to be working more directly with local partners and communities across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, who are best placed to understand the needs of their local areas and more closely aligned to the local economic geographies to deliver quickly on the ground.