In the Autumn Budget 2017 we announced investment of £21 million to expand Tech City UK into a nationwide network \u2013 Tech Nation \u2013 aimed at accelerating the growth of the digital tech sector across the country. The funding will help Tech Nation support 40,000 entrepreneurs and up to 4,000 start-ups as they scale their businesses across the UK. This includes Birmingham, with Tech Nation highlighting that digital tech turnover for the Midlands came in at £7.7billion in 2017.<\/p>
<\/p>
DCMS investments in the wider business environment are creating and developing the conditions for digital businesses in the Midlands to start and grow. In September 2018, the Government announced the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) as the lead partner of the Urban Connected Communities (UCC) Project. This initiative will see the development of a large-scale 5G pilot across the region, with hubs in cities such as Birmingham, Coventry and Wolverhampton.<\/p>
<\/p>
The UCC project will design wireless infrastructure to deliver high quality connectivity and allow new 5G applications to be trialled in a number of sectors; allow industry to test different deployment models for 5G infrastructure and help inform the development of policy and regulation to support 5G deployment. Up to £50 million is currently available for the UCC, including £25 million of DCMS funding.<\/p>
<\/p>
DCMS are supporting the West Midlands Digital Skills Partnership which was launched in December last year. Bringing together some key regional stakeholders, supported by industry partners and Government, the West Midlands are exploring innovative ways in which to improve the talent pipeline in the region.<\/p>
<\/p>
Government further recognises that supporting digital businesses in the Midlands requires us to encourage innovation and adoption of digital tech in other sectors. The emerging West Midlands Industrial Strategy identifies exciting opportunities around data-driven health diagnostics, which will provide opportunities to test and commercialise new technologies, among wider opportunities for industrial digitisation applicable to local economic strengths. My officials also look forward to working with partners in Leicester & Leicestershire and Nottingham & Nottinghamshire in the near future, as they open discussion with Government around their Local Industrial Strategies.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4115", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Margot James"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Stourbridge"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Margot James"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2019-03-25", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2019-03-25T15:25:38.777Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "10"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Digital, Culture, Media and Sport"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Digital, Culture, Media and Sport"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2019-03-18", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Technology: New Businesses"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent steps the Government has taken to support tech start-ups in the Midlands.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4663", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Ben Bradley"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Mansfield"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Ben Bradley"} ], "uin" : "233565"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1090967", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1090967/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
Government is fully committed to the Civil Society Strategy: it is the beginning of an ambitious, evolving work programme to help build a strong society. As stated in the Strategy, community shares is a sustainable social investment model that empowers communities by giving members \u2013 as part-owners \u2013 a direct say in the success of an enterprise, encouraging them to play an active part in its future.<\/p>
<\/p>
As part of developing a MHCLG Communities Framework, building on the work of the Civil Society Strategy, we are engaging with sector partners, to explore future options to ensure we create socially and economically strong communities, where community shares and community assets play a central role in supporting communities deliver their priorities. As part of the Government\u2019s commitment to understanding what models of funding will best sustain the community ownership of assets, MHCLG are currently working with Power to Change on a jointly funded programme of research which will undertake a detailed economic assessment of assets in community ownership. The research which will be published in summer 2019 will inform a wide range of audiences including the voluntary and community sector, local government, funders and the emergent community business sector on effective approaches to supporting the community ownership of assets.<\/p>
<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4513", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Mims Davies"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Eastleigh"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Mims Davies"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2019-03-26", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2019-03-26T13:54:23.843Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "10"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Digital, Culture, Media and Sport"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Digital, Culture, Media and Sport"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2019-03-18", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Civil Society"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to page 100 of the Government's Civil Society Strategy, published in August 2018, what steps his Department has undertaken to work with civil society partners, including the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government\u2019s Communities Partnership Board, to explore ways of raising awareness and enabling use of the community shares model in options to encourage community ownership of assets and within onward devolution approaches.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4268", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Steve Reed"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Croydon North"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Mr Steve Reed"} ], "uin" : "233517"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1090986", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1090986/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
Government is fully committed to the Civil Society Strategy: it is the beginning of an ambitious, evolving work programme to help build a strong society. As stated in the Strategy, the government wishes to devolve more power to community groups and parishes. Onward devolution provides an opportunity for communities to help shape, and in some cases manage, public services in the places where they live. Communities themselves are often better placed than central or local government to identify the real issues they face, provided they are informed, equipped and trusted to do so. In development of its Communities Framework, which builds on the work of the Civil Society Strategy, MHCLG continues to work with sector partners to consider how we can support local councils and their partners in the design and delivery of services to create socially and economically strong places where community voices are heard. We are working to ensure that models of good community decision making are included in the Communities Framework.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4513", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Mims Davies"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Eastleigh"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Mims Davies"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2019-03-26", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2019-03-26T13:56:34.567Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "10"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Digital, Culture, Media and Sport"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Digital, Culture, Media and Sport"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2019-03-18", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Civil Society"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to page 52 of the August 2018 Civil Society Strategy, what steps his Department has taken to explore with the National Association of Local Councils and others the option for local charters between a principal council, local councils and community groups setting out respective responsibilities.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4268", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Steve Reed"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Croydon North"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Mr Steve Reed"} ], "uin" : "233519"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1091032", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1091032/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
Ministers and officials have regular meetings and discussions with social media companies on a range of issues. Details of ministerial meetings are published quarterly on the Gov.uk website.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4115", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Margot James"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Stourbridge"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Margot James"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2019-03-26", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2019-03-26T10:48:53.09Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "10"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Digital, Culture, Media and Sport"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Digital, Culture, Media and Sport"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2019-03-18", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Social Media: Employment Agencies"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions he has had with social media platforms on removing scam modelling agencies from their listings.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4481", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Alex Chalk"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Cheltenham"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Alex Chalk"} ], "uin" : "233625"} ], "itemsPerPage" : 10, "page" : 0, "startIndex" : 1, "totalResults" : 4, "type" : ["http://purl.org/linked-data/api/vocab#ListEndpoint", "http://purl.org/linked-data/api/vocab#Page"]} }