Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of progress on the commitments in the New Decade, New Approach agreement on the York Street Interchange scheme.

The New Decade, New Approach deal helped to restore a fully functioning Northern Ireland Assembly and Executive in January 2020. A key priority for the Executive was to begin the urgent task of strengthening public services and delivering essential infrastructure projects, including the York Street Interchange. In 2020, an assurance review into the scheme was commissioned. Following the reporting of the review in 2021, the Northern Ireland Infrastructure Minister asked for further work to be undertaken on the project proposals to maximise ambition on what can be delivered for connectivity and communities.

Delivering essential infrastructure projects including York Street Interchange is, of course, primarily a matter for the Northern Ireland Executive. The Government will encourage all parties to form an Executive as soon as possible following the Northern Ireland Assembly elections in May.

The Government’s priority is for a strong, functioning Executive delivering a better, more prosperous, shared future for the people of Northern Ireland. To support this priority, the Government has provided the NI Executive with £15 billion per year over the next three years. This is the largest funding settlement for Northern Ireland since devolution and highlights once again the strength and security that Northern Ireland gains from being an integral part of the world’s fifth largest economy.