Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what discussions he has had with (a) Cabinet colleagues and (b) the Northern Ireland Executive on the inclusion of Northern Ireland infrastructure projects for support under the Levelling Up Fund.

I have held, and will continue to hold, engagements with colleagues across the UK Government, the Northern Ireland Executive and with other stakeholders in Northern Ireland on the Levelling Up Fund.

The Levelling Up Fund will invest in local infrastructure that has a visible impact on people and their communities. It will run from 2021/22 to 2024/25, and drive regeneration in places in need. The prospectus for the Levelling Up Fund was published last week and sets out that the Fund will focus on three themes in its first year: smaller transport projects that make a genuine difference to local areas; town centre and high street regeneration; and support for maintaining and expanding the UK’s world-leading portfolio of cultural and heritage assets.

The Fund is being delivered as part of a broad package of complementary UK-wide interventions, including the UK Community Renewal Fund and the UK Community Ownership Fund.