Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Rural Connectivity

Wednesday 21 February 2024 · 9 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 6 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Government launched six new Project Gigabit contracts to connect another 690,000 rural premises.
  • Minister acknowledged concerns about infrastructure installation methods, expressing preference for underground installation over street poles.
  • Government is assessing value for money in connecting hardest-to-reach households and businesses in sparsely populated areas.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Sarah Atherton
Science & Technology Environment
Context

The MP is concerned about improving internet access in rural areas.

Question

What steps her Department is taking to improve rural connectivity. I am asking specifically about the progress made and any upcoming initiatives or targets set by the government to enhance broadband coverage across remote regions of the country.

Answer from Julia Lopez

We have made huge progress in connecting the countryside. In 2019 only 6% of premises had gigabit-capable broadband; now it is 80%, and the UK is building gigabit networks faster than any country in the EU. This month we launched another six Project Gigabit contracts to connect another 690,000 rural homes. The shared rural networks are tackling mobile notspots and we have satellite trials for the very hardest to reach.

Answered
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Q2 Rachel Maclean Con
Science & Technology Environment
Context

The MP's constituents in Inkberrow are concerned about the installation of broadband infrastructure using poles rather than underground.

Question

I am grateful to the Minister for all the work that her Department is doing, but my constituents in Inkberrow have contacted me because they are really concerned that the infrastructure for their much-needed broadband is being put in using poles in the street rather than underground as they were promised. We must upgrade our infrastructure, but we must not damage our beautiful countryside in the process, so what can she do to support my constituents in Inkberrow to ensure that this much-needed infrastructure is buried underground?

Answer from Julia Lopez

I thank my hon. Friend for raising this point, and I agree that we want to build underground where possible. It is important that she is advocating on behalf of her constituents, because we have had issues relating to poles. We encourage sharing, but that is not always happening. It seems to be an issue in particular pockets of the country, and we are talking to Ofcom about this to see what more we can do.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific actions taken by the government to ensure underground installation were not detailed.

How: We Encourage Sharing, Talking To Ofcom

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Q3 Trudy Harrison Con
Energy Business & Trade Agriculture & Rural Affairs Environment
Context

The MP's constituency has many hard-to-reach households and businesses that require significant investment for broadband.

Question

It is brilliant to hear about all of this progress. What assessment has the Minister made of the value for money cap in connecting the hardest-to-reach households and businesses, of which I have many in my very rural, incredibly beautiful but sparsely populated constituency?

Answer from Julia Lopez

My hon. Friend's constituency has very low gigabit connectivity, partly because its geography makes connections very expensive. That is why we launched one of our very first contracts in Cumbria. Some 15,000 premises are going to be connected across Copeland, and we are trying to stretch the contract as far as it will go. For premises that will not be reached, we will look at other technologies so that we can get to them as quickly as possible.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific assessments of value for money were not provided.

How: Trying To Stretch The Contract

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Q4 James Davies Con
Taxation Science & Technology
Context

The MP has received feedback from Philip Burrows about issues with fibre connections and excess charges.

Question

I work closely with Philip Burrows, Denbighshire's excellent digital officer. He tells me that Openreach can still impose significant excess charges to connect properties that are declared enabled for fibre. In those instances, people are unable to claim via the gigabit voucher scheme. Will my hon. Friend outline what steps she is taking to address this matter?

Answer from Julia Lopez

I thank my hon. Friend for raising the experience of Mr Burrows, who sounds like a very experienced officer. I would like to hear a bit more detail, because it sounds like the properties he cites have access to a fibre connection and would not be eligible for a voucher. I would like to know a bit more about the excess charges so that we can deal with any problems.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific steps taken to address issues were not detailed.

How: Would Like To Hear More Detail

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Q5 Sarah Atherton
Business & Trade Environment
Context

The MP is concerned about the lack of connectivity in Rossett despite predicted good signal.

Question

Rossett, outside Wrexham, has little to no connectivity, despite the Ofcom checker predicting that it has a good signal. This significantly limits residents' lives. Ofcom acknowledges that it is a prediction, but Building Digital UK says that, because the Government rely on this prediction, there is little chance of Rossett receiving any benefit from the shared rural network programme. What would the Minister advise my residents to do?

Answer from Julia Lopez

My hon. Friend highlights the challenge I have had in answering this question. The mobile connectivity figures I have for her constituency are extremely high. This highlights the issue we have with Ofcom's reporting maps, which are simply not good enough. We have consistently raised this with Ofcom, and we hope to make progress.

Not addressed: Specific advice for residents was not provided; instead, issues with reporting maps were highlighted.

How: Issue With Ofcom'S Reporting Maps

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Q6 Gregory Campbell DUP East Londonderry
Northern Ireland Business & Trade
Context

The MP wants to ensure that small rural businesses can benefit from improved connectivity.

Question

There has been significant improvement in rural broadband connectivity in Northern Ireland as a result of our agreement with the previous Government. Will the Minister take steps to ensure that small businesses in rural areas across the country can further develop themselves by maximising this advantage?

Answer from Julia Lopez

The hon. Gentleman is right to highlight the fantastic connectivity in Northern Ireland. In fact, I think it has some of the very best connectivity in the entire country. I will look into any spots that are still not covered, and I will happily get back to him.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific steps were not detailed; only an offer to follow up was made.

How: Looking Into It

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Q7 Jim Shannon DUP Strangford
Business & Trade Environment
Context

The MP is concerned about ensuring that small rural businesses have access to gigabit speeds.

Question

I thank the Minister for that answer. Will she outline how rural businesses can ensure that they have superfast broadband to secure their viability in an increasingly online market?

Answer from Julia Lopez

I thank the hon. Gentleman, but his businesses no longer want superfast. They want gigabit speeds and, thankfully, Northern Ireland has tremendous gigabit speeds. If there are any issues, particularly with access for small businesses, I am happy to look into them.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific steps were not detailed; only an offer to follow up was made.

How: Looking Into It

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Q8 Richard Foord Lib Dem Honiton and Sidmouth
Science & Technology Business & Trade Local Government Environment
Context

The MP is concerned that clawback money from Devon County Council is not being used for intended broadband projects.

Question

Devon County Council is spending its broadband clawback money on anything but broadband. That £7.8 million was intended for improving broadband in rural areas, including in villages such as Northleigh. Residents have encountered numerous pledges on poles, but they still do not have full fibre. Does the Minister think the clawback funding for broadband should have been ringfenced by Devon County Council?

Answer from Julia Lopez

These issues have been highlighted many times by Conservative Members from Devon. We thought we had worked through some of those challenges. The clawback challenge that the hon. Gentleman highlights has not previously been raised with me, and I will happily look into it for him.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific views on ringfencing were not provided; only an offer to follow up was made.

How: Looking Into It

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Q9 Chris Bryant Lab Rhondda and Ogmore
Environment
Context

The MP is critical of the government for poor performance in providing adequate broadband infrastructure.

Question

Some 4.8 million people live in rural 5G notspots; rural areas are seven times more likely to have broadband speeds worse than those at base camp at Everest; one in five poorer homes have no internet to the home at all; and cardiac arrest phones and medical monitors still rely on analogue telephony. Why are this Government such an abject failure?

Answer from Julia Lopez

I know that the hon. Gentleman loves to stick the boot in, but he has chosen the wrong subject here. In 2019, there was 6% gigabit coverage, whereas the figure now is 80%. This is a massive infrastructure project, and it is one of the biggest successes that we have, so he has chosen the wrong thing to be snipey about.

Not addressed: Specific efforts were not addressed; instead, criticism was directed at the MP.

How: Sticking The Boot In

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