Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Patrick Hurley and Chris Bryant

Wednesday 25th June 2025 Commons Chamber

[Chris Bryant]

My hon. Friend makes a strong point: we need digital inclusion for every community. If we are going to have a digital Government, we need to have a digital nation, and we cannot have some people excluded from that future. That is why we have announced £6 million in this financial year for the innovation fund, and I hope that local authorities will come forward with innovative ideas on how we can break down the barriers to digital inclusion.

[Patrick Hurley (Southport) (Lab)]

T1. If he will make a statement on his departmental responsibilities.

[The Minister for Data Protection and Telecoms (Chris Bryant)]

The Department is determined to make the UK the best place in the world for science and technology. Last week, the spending review committed £86 billion to research and development, enabling every aspect of our tech economy to start firing on all cylinders. Building on that, we published the digital and technology sector plan as part of our modern industrial strategy on Monday, backing our innovators in fields like quantum, life sciences and engineering biology with over £1 billion.

[Patrick Hurley]

Across the northern part of my constituency, from Marshside over to Hesketh Bank—

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Patrick Hurley and Chris Bryant

Thursday 22nd May 2025 Commons Chamber

[Patrick Hurley (Southport) (Lab)]

T4. Earlier this week, I attended the launch of the Independent Venue Community, which is a charity aiming to bring community activity into night-time music venues when they are usually closed. Does the Minister agree that such innovative thinking is beneficial to health and wellbeing, the arts sector more generally and town centre renewal? What support can the Department offer to see such schemes rolled out nationwide?

[Chris Bryant]

All I really want to say is yes, because I agree with everything my hon. Friend said. Since you like brevity, Mr Speaker, and brevity is the soul of wit, I am just going to say yes.