Extracts from Commons proceedings: Shared Prosperity Fund - Mar 17
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Extract from Wales Questions: UK Community Renewal Fund Gerald
Jones (Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney) (Lab): The Tories have
repeatedly claimed that Wales would not be worse off when EU
structural funds come to an end, but the community renewal fund of
which the Minister spoke is a shocking betrayal of that commitment.
The fund’s value—£220 million for the whole of the UK—is a just a
fraction of the £375 million a year that Wales was promised. Why
are communities in Wales once again...Request free trial
Extract from Wales
Questions: UK Community Renewal Fund
Gerald Jones (Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney) (Lab): The Tories have repeatedly claimed that Wales would not be worse off when EU structural funds come to an end, but the community renewal fund of which the Minister spoke is a shocking betrayal of that commitment. The fund’s value—£220 million for the whole of the UK—is a just a fraction of the £375 million a year that Wales was promised. Why are communities in Wales once again having to foot the bill for the Tories’ broken promises? The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Wales (David T. C. Davies): I am sorry to say that the hon. Gentleman, whom I greatly like and respect, perhaps has not been told that not only will the fund be there to enable access to the shared prosperity fund but we will continue to receive European structural funding for the next three financial years at least. I looked this morning at the figures for European structural funds for Wales, and we will receive more on average next year than we have received previously, so there will actually be no loss of funding whatsoever as a result of coming out of the European Union. To read all the exchanges, CLICK HERE UK Shared Prosperity Fund Wayne David (Caerphilly) (Lab): What recent discussions he has had with the First Minister of Wales on the UK shared prosperity fund The Secretary of State for Wales (Simon Hart): I have regular discussions with the First Minister of Wales and his ministerial team on a range of issues, including the UK shared prosperity fund The Government will continue to engage with the Welsh Government as we develop the fund’s investment framework, which will be published later this year. Wayne David [V]: Will the shared prosperity fund allocate resources on the basis of need? Simon Hart: Absolutely; that underpins the entire thrust of a number of these funds. We are attempting to prioritise areas with greatest need and where there is opportunity and challenges so that we get the money to the right places at the right time as fast as we can. One of the bits of feedback we get from local communities is that there seems to be a lot of money talked about but it never quite gets to the right place; this new initiative provides a much quicker and better way, involving local authorities, to get over that problem. Extracts from SNP led debate on Scotland: General Election and Constitutional Future The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Scotland (David Duguid) [V]:...The Chancellor’s Budget earlier this month demonstrated the Government’s commitment to operating on a truly UK-wide basis, from extending the furlough and self-employment schemes to the levelling-up fund, benefiting citizens and businesses right across the country. We are boosting funding for all communities and all parts of the UK, with a £200 million fund to invest in local areas ahead of launching the UK shared prosperity fund in 2022. This fund will help to level up and create opportunities across the UK in places most in need, such as former industrial areas, deprived towns, and rural and coastal communities, as well as help people who face labour market barriers. Our ability to do this is underpinned by the United Kingdom Internal Market Act 2020, passed in this place at the end of last year. The Act guarantees that UK companies can trade unhindered in every part of the UK, protecting jobs and livelihoods across the country. The financial assistance power taken through the Act covers infrastructure, economic development, culture and sport, and will support educational and training activities and exchanges both within the UK and internationally. As well as allowing the UK Government to deliver the UK shared prosperity fund the power will also be used to deliver the new Turing scheme for students across the UK to study and work not just in Europe, but around the world... To read the whole debate, CLICK HERE Extracts from SNP led debate on Leaving the EU: Impact on the UK Alison Thewliss (Glasgow Central) (SNP): I beg to move, that this House considers that the immediate economic damage, recent uncertainty and the projected long-term damage to business and trade from the UK leaving the European Union has disproven the perceived benefits of leaving the European Union; notes that the Scottish economy, specifically fishing, small businesses and manufacturing, are particularly vulnerable to market disruption; further notes that the failure of the UK Government to remain in mutually beneficial education schemes such as Erasmus+ is to the detriment of education and cultural exchange for people in Scotland and the rest of the UK; shows serious concern at the loss of EU funding and its replacement with the shared prosperity fund affirms the positive role immigration plays in society; and regrets the impact leaving the EU will have on those who wish to live, study and work in the UK... ...Many people are beginning to realise that Brexit was a pig in a poke and the much-vaunted schemes that have followed it are merely a mirage. I spoke recently about the shared prosperity fund the UK Government’s replacement for EU structural funds. It is almost unbelievable that we are now five years since the Brexit vote and still awaiting detail on how this scheme will operate. What we are certain of, however, is that this scheme will, due to the United Kingdom Internal Market Act 2020 and the power grab, bypass Holyrood entirely. This UK Government have made sure that decisions are taken out of the hands of the people of Scotland and restored to the backrooms and corridors of Whitehall... ...The shared prosperity fund has been described as “a direct attack” on devolution by the Labour-run Welsh Government. This cannot be dismissed as grievance politics or anything remotely like it; it is a real erosion of the hard-won rights of all those in the devolved nations of the UK. Be under no illusion: it is a power grab by the Tories, who never wanted devolution in the first place. The Prime Minister has gone as far as to call it a disaster and Tony Blair’s worst mistake—I am sure we can think of other mistakes, but I will leave that for the Minister... The Paymaster General (Penny Mordaunt):...The Agriculture Act 2020, which replaces the EU’s bureaucratic common agricultural policy, transforms how we support farmers. The Fisheries Act 2020 enables us to control who fishes in our waters. We have launched our new global human rights sanctions regime. There is the UK-Japan comprehensive economic partnership agreement, and we are replacing overly bureaucratic EU structural funds with the new UK shared prosperity fund... Alan Brown (Kilmarnock and Loudoun) (SNP):...My constituency has higher unemployment than we would like, and for that reason we certainly welcomed European funding. It helped to support the construction of a new industrial estate in Kilmarnock, which helped create much-needed jobs. What is the replacement for European funding going to look like? Most Ministers here do not know how to pronounce Loudoun, let alone find their way to my constituency, and it is a disgrace that the UK’s so-called shared prosperity fund is managed by the Secretary of State responsible for English local government... The Parliamentary Secretary, Cabinet Office (Julia Lopez):...SNP Members talk about the loss of EU regional funding, as I mentioned, without explaining that, through the new UK shared prosperity fund we will at least be matching the funds that have already been distributed to the benefit of communities across our four nations... To read the whole debate, CLICK HERE |