Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, who will be (a) responsible for the delivery of the levelling up agenda and (b) accountable to Parliament for areas of that agenda which intersect with (i) health, (ii) education and (iii) other departmental areas not within his Department.

Achieving the bold national missions we have set out in the Levelling Up White Paper will rely on a ‘system change’ of how government works. These missions will be cross-government, cross-society efforts, and are intended to precipitate systems change through cooperation across the public, private and voluntary sectors, rather than acting as a mechanism for holding the government to account.

To ensure transparency and accountability, the missions are specific and measurable, and are supported by a set of metrics. We are also committing to report on progress towards the missions through an annual report submitted to parliament, with each Whitehall department accountable for its contributions towards the collective effort.

We have also set up a ‘Levelling Up Advisory Council’ that will provide independent expert advice on matters relating to the design and delivery of Levelling Up, and a new Cabinet Sub-Committee with a specific focus on Levelling Up, chaired by the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities. This will bring together cabinet colleagues to collaborate, share information and resources, and take collective decisions on policies which will drive real change in towns and cities across the UK.

Secretaries of State are accountable to parliament for the actions of their department. Further information on departmental responsibilities can be found on GOV.UK: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/government-ministers-and-responsibilities.