Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how much his Department bid for from the Treasury for EU-exit resources in 2019-20; pursuant to the written statement of 18 December 2018 of the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Official Report HCWS1205, how he plans to spend the £35 million his Department has been allocated in 2019-20 for EU-exit; and pursuant to the Answer of 23 October 2018 to Question 181171 on Emergencies: Planning, (a) what the cost to the public purse was of funding G7 Resilience Advisers in 2018-19 and (b) from which budget of his Department that cost has been met.
Answer
MHCLG submitted a bid to HMT for resources for EU exit preparations to ensure that the Department is adequately prepared and local areas, communities and local economies have the capacity to react to any EU exit scenario. The Department is currently identifying where this money can best be allocated to ensure that local areas are properly supported and have the capacity to prepare for and can respond to EU exit.
In response to (a),the cost of the appointments of G7 Resilience Advisers in 2018-19, including salaries and associated costs, are estimated at approximately £119,377. No external providers have been approached about this recruitment to fill these internal vacancies within our wider team of Resilience Advisers.
With regard to (b), these appointments are being funded from within the Department’s administration budgets.