Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Broadband: Rural Wales

Wednesday 19 July 2023 · 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 2 Partly answered 0 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Minister highlighted Project Gigabit to improve rural connectivity in Wales.
  • Planning to launch a regional procurement for north Wales by the end of 2023.
  • Rob Roberts raised concerns about varying connectivity levels in Flint, Holywell, Mold, and Northop.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Rob Roberts
Transport Local Government Environment
Context

The question arises from the need to improve internet access in rural areas, particularly focusing on Delyn constituency and north Wales.

Question

If she will take steps to improve rural connectivity in (a) Delyn constituency, (b) north Wales and (c) Wales. She emphasised the importance of connectivity for local communities and businesses.

Answer from John Whittingdale

Under Project Gigabit, we are launching procurements across Wales and the rest of the UK to deliver gigabit-capable broadband to rural and remote premises not included in suppliers' commercial plans. We are planning to launch a regional procurement for north Wales by the end of the year, which will include premises in my hon. Friend's constituency.

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Q2 Rob Roberts
Energy Business & Trade Environment
Context

The question focuses on the varying levels of full-fibre broadband availability in different towns within Rob Roberts' constituency, with particular concern for the farming community's reliance on digital connectivity.

Question

The towns of Flint and Holywell have 90% and 83% full-fibre connectivity respectively, but Mold has only 10%, and Northop has 2.6%. The Mold exchange serves many smaller villages and the vital farming sector in Delyn. The questioner asked what more can be done to improve connectivity so that rural areas do not suffer.

Answer from John Whittingdale

My hon. Friend is right to stress the importance of digital connectivity to rural communities and businesses. We are pressing ahead apace with Project Gigabit, and have appointed our hon. Friend the Member for Barrow and Furness (Simon Fell) as rural connectivity champion. At present, more than 98% of premises in Delyn have access to superfast broadband, while 62% have a gigabit-capable network, and our Project Gigabit procurements are intended to ensure that communities such as Northop and Mold do not miss out on gigabit-capable connection.

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