PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
Ministers: Portsmouth (16 January 2018)

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment the Government has made of the effectiveness of previous Ministers for Portsmouth; and whether the Government plans to appoint such a Minister.

Asked by:
Stephen Morgan (Labour)

The Minister for Portsmouth role was created in January 2014 to support the city through the economic challenges it immediately faced following the closure of the shipyard.

The Minister was successful in securing additional funding for the city. For example, Government created a £5 million fund to help companies develop cutting-edge technology for unmanned boats and submarines, and invested £6.5 million to set up the headquarters of Ben Ainslie Racing. In addition, the Minister progressed the Tipner Ranges-Horsea East transfer as part of Portsmouth’s City Deal, creating 3,700 permanent jobs and helping to boost Portsmouth’s economy.

Portsmouth is of the utmost importance to England. The Government will continue to work alongside local leaders to ensure Portsmouth and the Solent has a strong voice in Government.

Answered by:
Sir Jake Berry (Conservative)
23 January 2018