Question to the Scotland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what recent discussions he has had with the (a) Chancellor of the Exchequer and (b) Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union on the replacing of EU structural funding after the transition period after the UK has left the EU.

Cabinet meets regularly to discuss a range of issues relating to our departure from the European Union. In relation to the replacement of EU structural funds, the Government has committed to creating a UK Shared Prosperity Fund which will boost productivity and reduce inequalities across our four nations.

In 2016, the Chancellor confirmed that the Government will guarantee EU funding for structural and investment fund projects signed after the Autumn Statement and which continue after we have left the EU. Further to this, the Withdrawal Agreement ensures that UK entities’ right to participate in EU programmes will be unaffected by the UK’s withdrawal from the EU for the lifetime of projects financed by the current Multi-annual Financial Framework. UK based organisations and individuals will be able to bid for funding, participate in and lead consortia, until programme closure. This settlement, once agreed as part of the Withdrawal Treaty, will supersede the requirement for the domestic guarantee announced by the Government in 2016. UK organisations should continue to bid for EU funding with the assurance that payments will continue after our departure from the EU.