Eastwood and Campbell press Benn on paused City Deals for East Derry area and Mid South West

Transcript

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.