Shared Prosperity Fund 2020-01-15
2020-01-15
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Questions & Answers
Q1
Direct Answer
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Context
The EU funding that comes to an end in 2020 has delivered more than £2 billion of investment in Wales since 2014, setting priorities according to the needs and demands of Wales.
EU funding ending this year has brought over £2 billion to Wales since 2014. Can the Secretary of State assure that Wales will receive not a single penny less under his Government's scheme and that priorities for Wales continue to be set by Welsh people?
I appreciate the hon. Gentleman's support for the Union but I can reassure him that the shared prosperity fund will be distributed by Welsh politicians accountable to Welsh voters, ensuring funds go to where they are most needed without being wasted on vanity projects. The relevant Minister in the Welsh Government shares this ambition.
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Q2
Direct Answer
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Context
Discussion about the shared prosperity fund's role in benefiting all parts of Wales post-Brexit.
Does my right hon Friend agree that it is essential that in the design of the architecture of the fund, the priorities of local authorities and the interests of the people they serve should be properly reflected?
I thank my right hon Friend for the advice that he has so generously given me over the years. It should be a source of encouragement that the early conversations I have had with the relevant Ministers, including the First Minister in Cardiff, suggest that they are as attuned as we are, or are certainly getting that way, to the need to ensure that the shared prosperity fund money that will be benefiting Wales is targeted at the areas where it is most needed and recognise the arguments being made across all parts of Wales.
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