Question to the Scotland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to support economic growth in Ayrshire.

The UK Government is investing more than £250 million in economic development and regeneration in Ayrshire including through the Regional Growth Deal, Pride in Place Programme, Local Growth Fund, and Local Regeneration Fund.

We are keen to see Ayrshire fully benefit from that investment. Spending in the Ayrshire Growth Deal is currently lower than expected and so my colleague, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Scotland, has written to local council leaders to stress the need for spending to increase significantly over the remaining lifetime of the Deal.