Asked by: Liam Byrne (Labour - Birmingham, Hodge Hill)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if he will (a) set out the budget for the Birmingham Commonwealth Games legacy programme and (b) list the contributing funding organisations.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government, along with Birmingham City Council and its partners, are investing £778 million to deliver the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.This investment is driving significant legacy opportunities including job creation, community and sports facilities and a timely boost to businesses. An additional £24 million investment from the government and the West Midlands Combined Authority to create a Trade, Tourism, and Investment Programme will ensure the city, region and the UK can take advantage of the economic opportunities hosting the Games provides. Many other partners and organisations are actively involved in and contributing to the work of the legacy programme, including Sport England, Spirit of 2012 and the Commonwealth Sports Foundation.
Asked by: Liam Byrne (Labour - Birmingham, Hodge Hill)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if he will set out the (a) specific initiatives and (b) associated funding for each initiative funded through the £10.7 million Sport England Birmingham and Solihull Local Delivery Pilot.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
Since 2017, Sport England’s Birmingham and Solihull Local Delivery Pilot has been delivered through The Active Wellbeing Society, the region’s Active Partnership, supporting over 600,000 older people, women, young families, BAME communities and children to enjoy the health, wellbeing, social and other benefits of being active.
Sport England is awarding £10,713,328 of National Lottery investment in the ‘Active Communities’ programme to promote being active across the region until 2024. Initiatives promoted by this programme include:
Developing a network of community activity champions;
A Birmingham Wellbeing panel and ‘The Crowd’ online platform launching this autumn;
Social prescribing schemes with healthcare professionals that use local community sports facilities;
Community activities including Active Streets, Active Parks, the Big Run and Walk Project and Big Bikes Birmingham;
Schools-based programmes to increase participation in sport and activity ;
The Share Shacks programme, offering places where people can borrow equipment that helps communities to play sport and be active, supported by additional bike repair services and community cafes; and
Tactical Urbanism schemes, including ‘pop-up parks’, redeveloping disused land for community use and supporting low-traffic neighbourhoods.
Asked by: Liam Byrne (Labour - Birmingham, Hodge Hill)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Minister of State, Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether (a) verbal and (b) written guidance has been issued to the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games delivery authority on becoming accredited by the Living Wage Foundation as a living wage employer.
Answered by Nigel Adams
The Department has confirmed to the Organising Committee for the 2022 Commonwealth Games that it should ensure that its staff and contractors are paid the national living wage, in line with the government’s policy. The Organising Committee also asks suppliers to demonstrate how they support its Social Values Charter as part of the procurement process. The Social Values Charter is on the Organising Committee’s website at https://www.birmingham2022.com/news/blog/delivering-social-value/.
Asked by: Liam Byrne (Labour - Birmingham, Hodge Hill)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, when he plans to publish proposals for modernising the eCommerce Directive.
Answered by Margot James
Any revision to the eCommerce Directive is the sole initiative of the European Commission. We are not aware of any plans to revise this Directive at this point. The UK is subject to EU law whilst it remains a Member State of the European Union.
During the implementation period agreed as part of the Withdrawal Agreement, the UK will no longer be a Member State yet to give businesses and citizens certainty, common rules will remain in place until the end of the period meaning businesses will be able to trade on the same terms as now up until the end of 2020. This includes the eCommerce Directive.
Asked by: Liam Byrne (Labour - Birmingham, Hodge Hill)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how many video games businesses have breached the Competition and Markets Authority’s set of Principles for Online and App-based Games since 2014; and how many of those businesses were British games companies.
Answered by Margot James
We are not aware of such data being published by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA).
As an independent non-ministerial department tasked with promoting competition and protecting consumers, the CMA is looking at a wide range of consumer issues in digital markets, including apps and terms and conditions. This includes international co-operation through ICPEN and other networks.
The CMA's Principles for Online and App-based Games set out the steps companies need to take in order to comply with relevant consumer legislation. The CMA retains an interest in in-app purchases and will take further action if necessary.
Asked by: Liam Byrne (Labour - Birmingham, Hodge Hill)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 25 February 2019 to Question 223191 on Commonwealth Games 2022, whether he will publish the guidance that has been issued to (a) organisations and (b) businesses working for the Birmingham Commonwealth Games Organising Committee on becoming accredited by the Living Wage Foundation.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
No guidance has yet been issued to organisations and businesses working for the Birmingham Organising Committee for the 2022 Commonwealth Games on becoming accredited by the Living Wage Foundation. Guidance on accreditation as a Living Wage Employer will be considered as part of work to agree appropriate contractor policies and pay for the Organising Committee and other Games delivery partners.
Asked by: Liam Byrne (Labour - Birmingham, Hodge Hill)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what guidance his Department has issued to (a) organisations and (b) businesses working for the Birmingham Commonwealth Games Organising Committee on becoming accredited by the Living Wage Foundation as a living wage employer; and in what format that guidance was issued.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Guidance for the Birmingham Organising Committee for the 2022 Commonwealth Games (known as the OC) on accreditation as a Living Wage Employer, will be considered as part of work to agree appropriate contractor policies and pay for the Organising Committee and other Games delivery partners.
Asked by: Liam Byrne (Labour - Birmingham, Hodge Hill)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what guidance he has issued and in what format to anyone connected to the Birmingham Commonwealth Games Organising Committee on becoming accredited by the Living Wage Foundation as a living wage employer.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Guidance on accreditation as a Living Wage Employer will be considered as part of work to agree appropriate contractor policies and pay for the Organising Committee and other Games delivery partners.
Asked by: Liam Byrne (Labour - Birmingham, Hodge Hill)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether all (a) directly employed staff and (b) contracted workers for the Birmingham Commonwealth Games in 2022 will be paid the Real Living Wage; and if the Organising Committee for the games will accredit as a Living Wage Employer with the Living Wage Foundation.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Birmingham Organising Committee for the 2022 Commonwealth Games Ltd (known as the OC) is now established in Birmingham. All staff directly employed by the OC are paid at least the 2018 voluntary Living Wage. The OC will be primarily responsible for procuring goods and services for the Games. We are working with the Organising Committee and our other Games Partners to agree the appropriate contractor policies and pay. Consideration of accreditation as a Living Wage Employer will form part of this work.
Asked by: Liam Byrne (Labour - Birmingham, Hodge Hill)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what threshold cost-to-benefit ratio of the West Midlands Combined Authority 5G roll out proposal is required for his Department to release funding for that proposal.
Answered by Margot James
The Urban Connected Communities (UCC) Project, part of the Government’s 5G Testbeds and Trials Programme, is a research and innovation project to trial new 5G technology, services and applications for the public sector, industry and citizens.
The project is in a mobilisation stage of work. Arrangements for the Department to co-fund projects within UCC are in development. These are planned to include business cases, of which the economic case will be part.