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

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the recommendation in the report by the Devolution All-Party Parliamentary Group Levelling-up Devo: the role of national government in making a success of devolution in England, published on 9 March, to "move away from a pattern of piecemeal, fragmented and short-term interventions” and “towards a localist settlement that gives councils the powers and resources to drive green and inclusive growth that meets the needs of their communities".

We welcome this report and demonstrate our clear commitment to devolution through our ambitious programme of 9 devolution deals which include £7.49 billion worth of investment over 30-years. 37% of residents in England are now served by directly elected city region mayors - including almost 50% in the North (growing to 41% of England and 62% of the North following this Spring’s mayoral election in the West Yorkshire Combined Authority). Any recommendations relating to new government investment would be a matter for the Spending Review.