Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Project Gigabit

Wednesday 20 November 2024 · 3 questions

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

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 3 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Project Gigabit has over 30 contracts with a total value of nearly 2 billion.
  • Build has started in areas like Norfolk, West Yorkshire, and south Wiltshire.
  • Discussions are ongoing with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero regarding connectivity issues in cold weather areas.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Shaun Davies Lab Telford
Science & Technology
Context

The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport has been tasked with rolling out Project Gigabit to improve broadband connectivity across the UK.

Question

What progress his Department has made on the roll-out of Project Gigabit. The Department has announced a total value of nearly £2 billion in contracts, but some areas like Ironbridge have very little coverage despite having complete gigabit coverage in other wards within Telford.

Answer from Chris Bryant

More than 30 Project Gigabit contracts are currently in place with a total value of almost £2 billion. The first premises have been connected as part of Project Gigabit contracts in areas including Norfolk, West Yorkshire and south Wiltshire, and the build has started in earnest elsewhere. Regarding Ironbridge, we hope to announce something shortly through a procurement via Openreach.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The answer did not confirm if residents, businesses, and world heritage sites without gigabit coverage will be included in the agenda to break down barriers to opportunity.

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Q2 Shaun Davies Lab Telford
Science & Technology
Context

The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport is responsible for the roll-out of Project Gigabit to improve broadband connectivity.

Question

Will the Government confirm that their agenda to break down barriers to opportunity includes residents, businesses and world heritage sites that cannot get online?

Answer from Chris Bryant

More than 30 Project Gigabit contracts with a total value of nearly £2 billion are currently in place. The first premises have been connected as part of Project Gigabit contracts, and build has started elsewhere. Regarding Ironbridge's world heritage site, we hope to announce something shortly through a procurement via Openreach.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not confirm that the agenda includes addressing gigabit coverage in specific areas like Ironbridge's world heritage site.

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Q3 Graham Leadbitter SNP Moray West, Nairn and Strathspey
Climate Energy
Context

There is a strong link between communications technology and the roll-out of smart meters in areas suffering from cold weather.

Question

What discussions has he had with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero on the issue of connectivity being important for alternative technologies to work, particularly in areas affected by cold weather?

Answer from Chris Bryant

There are issues about the security and safety of connectivity in areas suffering from specific weather conditions. We had a successful summit to discuss the closing down of the public services network for security, but we will work closely with the Scottish Government to ensure roll-out works in all such areas.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not confirm if there have been discussions about the roll-out of smart meters in cold-weather affected areas.

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