Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Levelling Up

Monday 10 July 2023 · 6 questions

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

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 3 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Levelling up is a core mission of the Government, aimed at creating local jobs and delivering billions in investment.
  • The Government claims levelling up is central to their work and urges voting Conservative to ensure continued focus on the agenda.
  • The levelling-up agenda covers various areas including health and aims to tackle issues like malnutrition.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Carol Monaghan SNP
Economy Parliamentary Procedure Local Government
Context

The MP is concerned about the impact of increasing costs on the levelling-up agenda.

Question

What assessment has been made of the potential effect of increases in the cost of living on his Department's levelling-up agenda?

Answer from Dehenna Davison

Levelling up is not just a slogan—it is an imperative, and that is why it is a driving mission of this Government. We are establishing investment zones and freeports to create high-quality local jobs, delivering billions of pounds of investment into vital local projects and empowering local leaders through devolution deals.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The assessment on the impact of cost increases was not provided.

How: Empty Rhetoric

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Q2 Jon Trickett Lab Normanton and Hemsworth
Economy Democracy & Elections
Context

The MP criticizes the Government for cutting £540 billion from public services over a decade, while only putting back about £500 million through levelling up.

Question

All those words are just empty rhetoric. It is a con trick. The truth is that in a single decade the Government cut £540 billion from public services, and by March they will only have put about £500 million—one tenth of that—back in through levelling up. Is it not clear that to level up properly, we need an end both to this Government and to the economic system they have established?

Answer from Dehenna Davison

Absolutely not. This is a Government that have put levelling up at the core of every single thing we do. The only way to ensure levelling up remains at the heart of Government is by voting Conservative at the next election.

Not addressed: The economic system and £540 billion cut were not addressed.

How: Vote For Us

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Q3 Carol Monaghan SNP
NHS Economy
Context

The MP highlights shocking figures on hospitalisations due to malnutrition, which has quadrupled since 2007.

Question

Data from the Times Health Commission reports that nearly 11,000 people in England last year were hospitalised with malnutrition. Malnutrition itself has quadrupled since 2007, with a shocking rise in Victorian illnesses such as scurvy and rickets. Can the Minister explain how such shocking figures fit within her Government's levelling-up agenda?

Answer from Dehenna Davison

I thank the hon. Lady for highlighting that. The wider 12 levelling-up missions cover a range of areas, including health and healthy life outcomes. It is important that we all work together to tackle this issue.

Partly answered

Not addressed: How malnutrition fits within the levelling-up agenda was not explained.

How: Work Together

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Q4 Caroline Dinenage Con Gosport
Parliamentary Procedure Local Government
Context

The MP is concerned about the lack of consultation results on unfair council tax for houses in multiple occupancy.

Question

The Minister understands that regeneration of our high streets is key to the levelling up of our communities, yet she is aware that in Gosport that is being paralysed by unfair council tax. The Secretary of State launched a consultation to address this, but it concluded weeks ago and we still have not had the result. When will it be published?

Answer from Dehenna Davison

I am grateful to my hon. Friend for her engagement with me and the Secretary of State on that vital issue. Unfortunately, I cannot give her a specific date right now, but I will meet her as soon as we have the result in place.

Not addressed: A specific date was not given.

How: Cannot Provide

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Q5 Ben Bradley Con
Economy Transport Local Government
Context

The MP highlights the support and funding going to Mansfield and the east midlands through various levelling-up projects.

Question

I am grateful to my hon. Friend and to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for recent visits to Mansfield and the east midlands to support the many levelling-up projects we have going on in our region, from freeports to development companies, integrated rail plans, investment zones and levelling-up and towns fund projects, including in Mansfield. All that amounts to billions of pounds. What impact does my hon. Friend think that will have on my constituency?

Answer from Dehenna Davison

My hon. Friend has done a great job of highlighting the incredible level of support going to Mansfield and the wider east midlands. That will have an enormous impact on the people living in the east midlands and on their opportunities to get on in life, which ultimately is what levelling up is all about.

Partly answered

Not addressed: No specific assessment was given.

How: Opportunities

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Q6 Alex Norris Labour (Co-op) Nottingham North and Kimberley
Economy Housing
Context

The MP is concerned about the £1 billion of levelling-up fund money that has not been allocated.

Question

Up and down the country, communities are struggling with the Tories' mortgage crisis and the cost of living crisis. Those hit hardest often live in communities that were promised levelling-up funding, yet the Government sit on £1 billion of promised levelling-up fund money—money that could make a difference to those who need it most. Where on earth is it? Will the Government commit today to starting a process for the allocation of it?

Answer from Dehenna Davison

We got a lot of criticism from the Opposition about round 2 of the levelling-up fund. They wanted us to get round 3 right, and we are taking the time to ensure that we get round 3 allocations right. We will announce details on how we will allocate that money in due course.

Not addressed: A specific commitment was not given.

How: Taking Time

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