Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to Question 207151 and with reference to the oral contribution of the Prime Minister on 21 January 2019, Official Report Column 52, when he plans to start the consultation on the UK Shared Prosperity Fund; and for what reason that consultation has been postponed.

Whilst the Government remains committed to securing a good Brexit deal, it is right that we also plan for a no-deal scenario and we have therefore continued to review our approach to the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) consultation accordingly. The Government recognises the importance of reassuring local areas on the future of local growth funding once we have left the European Union and providing clarity on UKSPF. Therefore we intend to publish the full consultation document shortly.