Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 8 March 2017 to Questions 66289 and 66310, on manufacturing industries: Durham, how much of the £379.6 million has been invested in (a) Peterlee and (b) Easington constituency to date.

The Local Growth Fund is awarded to Local Enterprise Partnerships, who prioritise projects for funding in accordance with their local assurance frameworks.

Through its Growth Deal the North East Local Enterprise Partnership has allocated £7.84m from the Local Growth Fund (LGF) to support two priority projects in Easington.

The first project is the construction of a new Horden (Peterlee) Station on the Durham Coast Line, which will be supported by £3.44m from the LGF. The second project involves improvements to the A19/A189 Seaham/Murton interchange, which will be funded by £4.4m of LGF. Both projects will help the residents of Easington and the North East to access new and existing job opportunities.