Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Northern Ireland Executive

Wednesday 7 January 2026 · 2 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 2 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Claire Hanna raised concerns about cuts to the local growth fund affecting support jobs and employment for vulnerable people.
  • Sorcha Eastwood inquired about assurances that the Minister would listen to and address concerns regarding budgetary constraints.
  • The Minister highlighted a record settlement of 19.3 billion for Northern Ireland and stressed ongoing engagement with the voluntary sector.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Claire Hanna Social Democratic & Labour Party Belfast South and Mid Down
Economy Employment Northern Ireland
Context

The local growth fund has recently faced significant cuts, impacting support jobs and employment initiatives for vulnerable individuals. Concerns have been raised about the impact on services aimed at tackling low productivity.

Question

I am concerned that organisations across Northern Ireland received devastating news of a large cut to the local growth fund just before Christmas, which will devastate crucial support jobs and work done to help vulnerable people into meaningful employment. What steps will the Northern Ireland Office take to prevent the loss of those crucial support jobs, and to help put in place services to tackle our low productivity?

Answer from The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (Matthew Patrick)

I pay tribute to the great work done by the voluntary sector in Northern Ireland. I know that this has been a difficult time, which is why our engagement with the sector has been so important. I can assure my hon. Friend that that engagement will continue to be important, especially as we launch the local growth fund, which provides £45.5 million a year to support growth in Northern Ireland.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific steps to prevent job losses and address low productivity were not detailed.

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Q2 Sorcha Eastwood Alliance Lagan Valley
Northern Ireland
Context

Northern Ireland is facing significant budgetary challenges, with the local growth fund cuts causing substantial damage to services and jobs.

Question

As we have just heard, Northern Ireland is operating under considerable budgetary constraints, and the local growth fund will cause huge damage. What can the Minister do to assure my constituents in Lagan Valley and people across Northern Ireland that he will listen to our concerns and act on them?

Answer from The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (Matthew Patrick)

We have put a record settlement of £19.3 billion into Northern Ireland. Obviously, that money can be used to support people. The local growth fund has been built for a year; it has been set aside to make sure that we can support the groups mentioned, and I will continue to engage with them.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific actions to address constituent concerns were not detailed.

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