Eastwood and Campbell press Benn on paused City Deals for East Derry area and Mid South West
Eastwood and Campbell press Benn on paused City Deals for East Derry area and Mid South West
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00:00I attended the Derry and Strabane city deal signing on the 18th of September, and the
00:05UK Government's £105 million investment will help progress transformative projects
00:11in innovation, digital and health projects, which will build on the region's well-established
00:18research excellence.
00:22The Chancellor will set out the results of the first phase of the spending review on
00:2630 October, which will include an update on the two outstanding city deals.
00:32It seems to me, Mr Speaker, that these questions would be better directed at the Treasury,
00:36because of course that's where the decision was made, and can I thank the Secretary of
00:40State for the work that he did, because I know the work that he did over the weekend
00:43after the 17th to secure the much-needed Derry city deal.
00:48He has said that the other two being paused, there will be an update around that at the
00:53end of the budget.
00:54Can I just confirm, is it an update, or is it a decision?
00:59Well, although the Honourable Gentleman encourages me, I am not going to speak for the Chancellor,
01:06and the Chancellor will tell us what's in the budget when she stands up on 30 October.
01:10The Secretary of State will remember that when he and I were at the signing of the London
01:15Derry deal in September, that I lobbied him strongly to get the other two deals over the
01:20line.
01:21He's outlined the meetings he has held, but given what he's just said about not meeting
01:25and talking with the Chancellor about, will he be meeting the Prime Minister?
01:29Because he's met other people.
01:31We need to get these deals up and running, over the line, and get much-needed investment
01:36into areas like mine and the Mid-South West deal as well.
01:40Well, I very much enjoyed seeing the Honourable Gentleman at the signing of the Derry-London-Derry-Strabham
01:47city deal.
01:48It was a great event.
01:50And I think it's the responsibility of all of us in the House, who have the interests
01:54of these two deals at heart, to make sure we make representations to everyone who can
02:01have an influence over the final decision.