Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps his Department is taking to support AI startup businesses outside of London and the South East with investments and funding.

The Government is committed to removing barriers to growth for SMEs and ensuring that they have access to resources and expertise needed to develop and scale. Over the last 2 years, Innovate UK has awarded £5.2 billion funding to more than 7,000 businesses across the UK, of which 86% were SMEs.

We are supporting UK tech startups by harnessing the benefits of AI, investment, skills, regulation, data and procurement.

The AI Action Plan sets out our intention to encourage AI development across the UK. We are already working with devolved administrations and local authorities on AI Growth Zones, to ensure all parts of the UK benefit from the investment in critical AI infrastructure.