Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the UK Infrastructure Bank, as a private company wholly owned by HM Treasury, will be subject to the same rural proofing guidance as government departments.

The UK Infrastructure Bank has a dual mandate of supporting local and regional economic growth and tackling climate change, and it will support projects across the country. Its priority sectors include digital and clean energy infrastructure which may benefit rural areas in particular UKIB’s recently published Strategic Plan also notes that there are complex rural-urban disparities, and that infrastructure investment can help to address these.

The UK Infrastructure Bank is operationally independent from Government, and its remit is set out in its Framework Document, which asks it to:

“take into account, as far as practicable and appropriate with respect to the Company, the relevant Green Book guidance when appraising investment opportunities”.

Whist UKIB is not subject to specific rural proofing guidance, this requirement in the Framework Document includes considering place based impacts.