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

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of providing funding for Women's Group Projects in Northern Ireland who were unsuccessful bids for the Shared Prosperity Fund.

My department is committed to addressing economic inactivity in Northern Ireland through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) and recognises the particular needs of women in this regard. All funded projects will support economically inactive women.

A number of organisations that have a strong focus on supporting women have been successful either as a lead bidder or a project partner. These include: Women's TEC, Women's Resource Development Agency, Women's Aid, First Steps Women's Centre, Women in Business, Northern Ireland Rural Women's Network, Atlas Women's Centre, Ballybeen Women's Centre, Falls Women's Centre, Footprints Women's Centre, Greenway Women's Centre, Shankill Women's Centre and Windsor Women's Centre.

No further UKSPF funding is expected to be available for unsuccessful bidders.