Recommendation 3

We acknowledge the interest that the Government will have in the allocation of funding and the delivery of Shared Prosperity Fund projects in all parts of the UK, including Northern Ireland. We are pleased, however, to see that Whitehall has begun to engage with Northern Ireland through the UKSPF Northern Ireland Partnership Group. The Government should publish a timetable for, and readout of, each meeting of this group. It must also explain how it will collaborate and engage with the Executive on the SPF, to ensure that funding is not duplicated, that funding gaps do not emerge, and that investment is in line with the Department for the Economy’s 10X Strategy. In the expectation that an Executive will be up and running again soon, we urge the Government to re-consider Stormont’s role in the delivery of the UKSPF, which is currently very limited. Consideration should also be given to transferring more control over these funds to the NI Executive.