Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether he has had recent discussions with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the potential merits of reinstating the Causeway City and Growth deal.

The Government has inherited a £22 billion black hole in the public finances and, as a result, the Treasury is having to consider a range of measures to address this through the spending review.

Since the announcement that the Causeway Coast and Glens and Mid South West deals have been paused, I have met with the Chief Secretary to the Treasury and many other interested parties to discuss the potential of both deals for encouraging economic growth.