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.