Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Levelling Up

Tuesday 2 November 2021 · 7 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 3 Partly answered 4 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Levelling up is the Government's defining mission, focusing on creating conditions for business growth and providing skills for success.
  • The UK Government are discussing options to extend the Borders railway, part of the levelling-up agenda.
  • The levelling-up fund will support Crawley constituency with airport and ground operations support to recover from the pandemic.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Christian Wakeford Lab Bury South
Economy Employment Local Government
Context

The Government is committed to levelling up all regions of the UK. The question addresses progress on this commitment.

Question

What progress his Department has made in levelling up all regions of the UK?

Answer from Helen Whately

Levelling up is this Government's defining mission; it is a golden thread running through this Budget and spending review. We are creating the right conditions for businesses to grow and giving people the right skills to succeed. We believe that the place where someone grows up should never limit their prospects.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not provide specific progress on levelling up regions, only general commitment.

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Q2 John Lamont Con Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk
Transport
Context

The question concerns extending the Borders railway to improve economic opportunities in Tweedbank, Hawick, Newcastleton, and Carlisle.

Question

Will the Minister confirm that the UK Government support the extension of the Borders railway as part of the levelling-up agenda?

Answer from Helen Whately

I commend my hon. Friend for his forthright campaign for the extension of the Borders railway. I reassure him that the Department for Transport and Transport Scotland are discussing the options to extend the railway, and, as I think he knows, the £350 million Borderlands inclusive growth deal includes up to £5 million to assess feasibility.

Answered
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Q3 Henry Smith Con
Economy Transport
Context

The question concerns how levelling up will support the recovery of the Gatwick airport constituency from the pandemic.

Question

Will my hon. Friend say how levelling up will support my constituents to recover from the pandemic?

Answer from Helen Whately

I know my hon. Friend's Crawley constituency well and I recognise the importance of aviation to livelihoods there. I am sure that he will welcome the extension of the airport and ground operations support scheme that the Chancellor announced to help airports such as Gatwick to recover from covid. We have also provided £180 million in covid loan schemes to support businesses in Crawley and, as he knows, Crawley has already received £21 million through the towns fund.

Answered
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Q4 Christian Wakeford Lab Bury South
Education Economy
Context

The question thanks the Chancellor for funding to regenerate Radcliffe town centre and asks if this shows commitment to opportunities for young people.

Question

Does the Minister agree that the Government are committed to creating new opportunities for young people so that they have the best chance to get on in life and fulfil their potential?

Answer from Helen Whately

I congratulate my hon. Friend, because his constituency is indeed receiving £20 million from the levelling-up fund to deliver a new civic hub in Radcliffe, which will improve access to adult education while freeing up vital space for a new secondary school. As I am sure he saw in the Budget and spending review last week, we are fully committed to providing people with the skills that they need to succeed in life.

Answered
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Q5 Richard Burgon Lab Leeds East
Transport Local Government
Context

The question concerns the rejection of a bid for upgrading Fearnville sports centre and requests a meeting with the Chancellor to discuss approval.

Question

Will he step forward now and agree to meet me, the leader of Leeds City Council, James Lewis, and a delegation of local residents with a view to approving the council's bid for the upgrade of Fearnville sports centre?

Answer from Helen Whately

I thank the hon. Member for his question, which gives me the opportunity to remind him that his area is receiving hundreds of millions of pounds of investment in transport infrastructure. We look forward to receiving further bids for future rounds of the levelling-up fund, for instance. We are delighted to invest in constituencies such as his.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not confirm a meeting on Fearnville sports centre upgrade, only general investment claims.

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Q6 Alison McGovern Lab Birkenhead
Economy
Context

The question questions the single metric used to measure levelling-up progress and asks for a specific target.

Question

By how much does she expect to close the economic gap by the end of this Parliament?

Answer from Helen Whately

I thank the hon. Member for her interest in our objective to level up across the whole United Kingdom. As she repeated, it is the defining mission of this Government; as she can see, it is the golden thread running through the spending review and the Budget, with steps taken and investment made across Government to support levelling up across all our constituencies.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not provide specific target on closing economic gaps, only general commitment.

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Q7 Dan Jarvis Lab Barnsley North
Economy Transport
Context

The question concerns South Yorkshire's unsuccessful bid for the levelling-up fund and asks if there will be a second round.

Question

Will the bids be looked at again as part of a second round?

Answer from Helen Whately

South Yorkshire will receive a share of the £5.7 billion for transport for the region. Overall, as the hon. Member will know and as he will have heard when he attended our debate yesterday afternoon, support for levelling up and investment have been received by constituencies all around the country and represented by hon. Members across the House. There will be further rounds for levelling-up funds to put in for.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not confirm second round of bids, only general commitment to future funding opportunities.

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