Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Rural Broadband

Thursday 20 October 2022 · 2 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 1 Partly answered 1 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Ministerial Department is investing 5 billion in Project Gigabit to expand broadband coverage in rural areas.
  • Over 740,000 premises have been upgraded with gigabit connections across the UK.
  • Helen Whately raised disappointment among constituents in Throwley and Wichling over unsuccessful gigabit voucher bids.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Helen Whately Con Faversham and Mid Kent
Economy Science & Technology
Context

The government's broadband coverage has increased to 71%, up from 6% in January 2019. However, there are areas like north Dorset and Teesdale where constituents face challenges.

Question

What steps her Department is taking to expand broadband coverage to rural areas. National gigabit coverage has rocketed to 71%, but some constituents remain unserved.

Answer from Julia Lopez

We are investing £5 billion in Project Gigabit so that hard-to-reach areas can get ultra-reliable gigabit speeds. We have already upgraded over 740,000 premises and launched procurements with a value of over £700 million to deliver gigabit connections across the UK.

Answered
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Q2 Helen Whately Con Faversham and Mid Kent
Science & Technology
Context

Residents in Throwley and Wichling submitted bids for gigabit vouchers but were unsuccessful despite gathering community support. These residents struggle to use broadband effectively.

Question

My constituents in Throwley and Wichling were incredibly disappointed to find that their bids for gigabit vouchers were unsuccessful, especially after they worked so hard to gather community support. While most people are able to use their broadband to do video calls, work from home, and stream movies and matches, those constituents cannot.

Answer from Julia Lopez

I thank my hon. Friend for raising this case and for all the work that she and her team did to help those villages. I asked officials to look into this case, and they told me that the broadband supplier responsible for the projects in those villages did not put them forward for consideration as a voucher priority area on the basis that they were not expected to deliver a gigabit-capable connection faster than our own Project Gigabit procurement in Kent. In good news, I can assure my hon. Friend that we are making very good progress on that procurement and we hope to be able to launch it in the coming weeks.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The answer did not provide a specific timeline or commitment for fast broadband access soon but acknowledged ongoing work and expected progress.

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