To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to the Answer of 21 February 2022 to Question 121697, on Levelling Up Fund: Devolution, in the context of Northern Ireland being the only devolved region of the UK to which the first round allocation was below the anticipated allocation, what steps he plans to take to ensure that the second round of funding redresses any imbalance.
Answered on
25 February 2022
In August 2021, we provided £1,375,000 to 11 local authorities in Northern Ireland, to support the development of high-quality bids for future rounds of the Levelling Up Fund. Officials have already begun to work with a range of stakeholders to prepare them for future funding opportunities.
In addition, following the launch of round two of the Fund in spring 2022, we will implement a support offer to further help applicants to develop high quality bids that will have lasting impacts for communities across GB and NI.
Future rounds of the Levelling Up Fund will continue to prioritise a fair deal for all nations of the UK, meeting the commitment we set out to at least £800 million for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland over the lifetime of the Fund.