Asked by: Ian Murray (Labour - Edinburgh South)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what his Department's timescales are for announcing the details of the proposed methodology for the selection of culture projects; and what plans his Department has to publicise this announcement.
Answered by Jacob Young - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
I refer the Hon Member to the answer I gave to Question UIN 5001 on 11 December 2023.
Asked by: Ian Murray (Labour - Edinburgh South)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what his planned timescale is for announcing the selection methodology for culture projects in Round 3 of the Levelling Up Fund.
Answered by Jacob Young - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
We recognise the important role that culture can play in levelling up. That is why we have set aside £100 million for culture through the third round of the Levelling Up Fund. Further details of this funding will be announced in due course.
Asked by: Ian Murray (Labour - Edinburgh South)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department submitted a draft Order in Council to a meeting of His Majesty in Council giving effect to new parliamentary boundaries within the four-month statutory period as provided for in section 4 of the Parliamentary Constituencies Act 1986.
Answered by Jacob Young - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
Following the laying before Parliament of the four reports by the Speaker of the House of Commons on 28 June, the Secretary of State submitted on 27 October a draft Order in Council, giving effect to the new parliamentary constituencies boundaries recommendations, to the Privy Council Office, so that the Order can be considered at the next Privy Council meeting thereafter.
Asked by: Ian Murray (Labour - Edinburgh South)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how many staff work in the intergovernmental relations (IGR) Secretariat as of 7 November 2022; and what estimate he has made of the annual cost of running that Secretariat.
Answered by Felicity Buchan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
The Cabinet Office has been working with the devolved governments to establish the IGR Secretariat. Recruitment for the Head of Secretariat role went live in November. The new Head of Secretariat will be asked to present options on the exact size and shape of the team, however UKG and the devolved governments have a shared ambition to ensure it is small and nimble in its operation.
Asked by: Ian Murray (Labour - Edinburgh South)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how the £350 monthly thank you payment to those who accommodate Ukrainian refugees under the Homes for Ukraine scheme is being paid.
Answered by Eddie Hughes
Guidance on how the £350 payment is made can be found via: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/homes-for-ukraine-guidance-for-councils.
Asked by: Ian Murray (Labour - Edinburgh South)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether the calculation for the average value of EU structural fund receipts to the UK of around £1.5 billion per year includes the value of Interreg receipts to UK beneficiaries.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
UK-wide, funding for the UKSPF will ramp up to £1.5 billion per year by March 2025. Alongside commitments to support regional finance funds across the UK via the British Business Bank, this upholds the UK government’s commitment to match EU structural fund receipts for each nation.
UKSPF will not directly replace European Territorial Cooperation programmes. Each place has a range of economic and societal relationships with other places across the UK, including their neighbours and places with common needs and opportunities. Collaboration with other places across the UK will be welcomed in the delivery of the Fund where it meets the needs of their place and achieves value for money or better outcomes for the people or businesses the Fund will benefit.
Asked by: Ian Murray (Labour - Edinburgh South)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will list the UK-based organisations currently in receipt of Interreg Funding from the European Regional Development Fund.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
Interreg (or European Territorial Cooperation) programmes are not managed directly by DLUHC, but by independent Managing Authorities who are responsible for making payments to organisations acting as project partners.
Asked by: Ian Murray (Labour - Edinburgh South)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment his Department has made of the implications for its policies of the increase in PAYE employees between February 2020 and October 2021 being substantially lower in four of the five regions of Scotland than the majority of other regions and nations of the UK.
Answered by Eddie Hughes
My Department is committed to levelling up all parts of the United Kingdom including, of course, Scotland. My Department opened its first office in Scotland in 2021, an important demonstration of the Government’s commitment to levelling up in Scotland and just one part of a wider Government programme which is increasing the number of Civil Service roles based in Scotland. DLUHC staff based in Scotland will play an important role in role in connecting with partner organisations and communities to ensure Government policies meet local priorities and needs.
Asked by: Ian Murray (Labour - Edinburgh South)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Scotland on recommencing the Great British High Street initiative.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
The Government shares the passion that local communities have for their high streets and is committed to helping high streets and town centres adapt and thrive following COVID-19. Government's priority has been to ensure safe and successful reopening of high streets, and ensure investment in regeneration of town centres and high streets through the £4.8 billion Levelling Up Fund.
To support places in revitalising and reinventing their High Streets, Government published the Build Back Better High Streets Strategy on 15 July 2021. The Strategy sets out Government's long-term plan to support the evolution and regeneration of all high streets across every part of the UK into thriving places to work, visit and live. As part of the strategy we set out a commitment to holding a National High Streets Day in 2022 to highlight vibrate high streets. The Government is also reviewing options for recommencing the Great British High Street Awards next year.
Asked by: Ian Murray (Labour - Edinburgh South)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will take steps to ensure that the research and development of marine energy technologies, which has been dependent on funding under the Interreg scheme, is not disadvantaged under the transition to a UK Shared Prosperity Fund; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Luke Hall - Minister of State (Education)
The UK Shared Prosperity Fund will help to level up and create opportunity across the UK in places most in need, such as ex-industrial areas, deprived towns and rural and coastal communities, and for people who face labour market barriers.
This Government will ensure that the UK Government and its institutions are working effectively to realise the benefits of four nations working together as one United Kingdom.
Spending Review 2020 set out the main strategic elements of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund in the Heads of Terms. This stated that UK Shared Prosperity investment should be aligned with the government's clean growth and net zero objectives. The Government will publish a UK-wide investment framework later this year and confirm its funding profile at the next Spending Review.