I acknowledge the concerns set out in the Committee’s conclusion and the challenges the funding split for the Local Growth Fund has raised for stakeholders in Northern Ireland. However, it is important to recognise that MHCLG has established a distinct, new fund focused on our priority to ensure long-term investment to support economic growth. Whilst the split does reflect a more capital-focused fund, we recognised resource funding was important, which is why we have ensured resource funding is part of the funding split. I do not share the Committee’s conclusion on the effectiveness of the NIO in being the voice for Northern Ireland in Whitehall – this is at the heart of what we do. In this case, given our understanding the unique circumstances of Northern Ireland, the NIO had an instrumental role in providing mitigations to Northern Ireland that go beyond those available in Scotland and Wales. This included ensuring enhanced flexibility to use Pride in Place Programme funding for the Local Growth Fund, which has added over £11 million in additional resource funding between 2026–29, which without our role would not have been available. I met with the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB) on the 5th March together with representatives of the voluntary and community sector and I understand some organisations have subsequently made applications to the PEACEPLUS Change Maker Funding Programme and the Investment Area 1.2 (Empowering Communities) to attempt to access alternative streams of funding. This new fund is an opportunity to work in partnership with the NI Executive and stakeholders to change the way we invest in growth in Northern Ireland. We launched the public consultation for the Local Growth Fund on 8 May, and have had a series of engagement sessions with several sectors, including the community and voluntary sector, to provide an opportunity for stakeholders to provide their responses to how the fund should be designed to best support each sector to promote economic growth. So far these sessions have provided ideas about how capital funding can indeed support the community and voluntary sector, as well as the priorities for businesses and councils.