Contributions
2,215 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARD Towns FundI know that the hon. Gentleman is an experienced Member of the House, but I do not think he understands what accounting officer’s advice is and how it corresponds with advice from…18 Nov 2020HANSARD Towns FundI thank my hon. Friend for his question. I had the pleasure of visiting Telford recently, and I met the chief executive of Telford and Wrekin Council and members of the town…18 Nov 2020HANSARD Towns FundThank you, Madam Deputy Speaker. I shall try to be swift. As I said in an earlier answer, the question of Barnettisation will be settled at the spending review, and hon. Members…18 Nov 2020HANSARD Towns FundI thank my hon. Friend, who has been a fantastic champion for her constituency since she was elected just a short time ago. As she says, it is a reflection on the Labour party—at…18 Nov 2020HANSARD Towns FundWell, I did not detect a question there, other than a whole series of pointless innuendos. We are going to keep focusing on what the public want us to do, which is investing and…18 Nov 2020HANSARD Towns FundMy hon. Friend is absolutely right to say that the shared prosperity fund will be a great opportunity for the whole United Kingdom to come together; for us to be doing work not…18 Nov 2020HANSARD Towns FundI think I have already answered that point: the accounting officer’s advice is not routinely published within Whitehall. That is a matter for the Department and the civil service…18 Nov 2020HANSARD Towns FundWe have actually included communities within larger cities in both the towns fund and the future high streets fund, because my hon. Friend is absolutely right to say that there…18 Nov 2020HANSARD Towns FundMy hon. Friend and I have discussed this previously. The criteria designed by the Department for the towns fund placed an upper limit on the size of communities that were able to…18 Nov 2020HANSARD Towns FundI have been very clear that, on the advice of civil servants, we gave the opportunity to bid for a town deal to the 40 most highly ranked. Then, in accordance with the advice of…18 Nov 2020HANSARD Towns FundI had a very enjoyable visit to Holmfirth, one of the most special places in Yorkshire. I will be delighted to consider proposals from the town in the future. We will be bringing…18 Nov 2020HANSARD Towns FundAbsolutely not.18 Nov 2020HANSARD Towns FundI should say, just to clarify my answer to the hon. Member for Halton (Derek Twigg), because he seemed confused by it, that the point I was making was that absolutely, his bid…18 Nov 2020HANSARD Towns FundWell, it is not a terribly good look for the Labour party to say that it does not want investment to go into Cheadle. I think that the good people of Cheadle will welcome the fact…18 Nov 2020HANSARD Towns FundI thank my hon. Friend and will bear that in mind when we come to the competitive phase of the process. He makes the broader point very powerfully—namely, that from what we have…18 Nov 2020HANSARD Towns FundFrom memory, the fund the hon. Gentleman is referring to was established by the Secretary of State at the Department for International Trade, but I will take his representations…18 Nov 2020HANSARD Towns FundWe have made a manifesto commitment that I have repeated many times in this place that we will be bringing forward a UK shared prosperity fund. Further details on that will be set…18 Nov 2020HANSARD Towns FundMy hon. Friend makes a strong case for Burnley. As I say, we will begin that competitive phase early next year, and before the end of this year, I hope to be announcing the…18 Nov 2020HANSARD Towns FundAs a former member of the Public Accounts Committee and a former Treasury Minister, I hold our colleagues at the National Audit Office in the highest esteem. They prepared a…18 Nov 2020HANSARD Towns FundThe hon. Gentleman is quite wrong. One only has to look at his neighbours to see good examples of that. I think of Birkenhead, for example, which I do not think was high on the…18 Nov 2020