Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Access to Digital Services: North-east

Wednesday 12 February 2025 · 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

  • Government committed to delivering nationwide gigabit connectivity coverage by 2030
  • Minister offered to meet regarding internet connectivity issues for a business in Chichester
  • AI opportunities action plan aims to set out aspirations for small businesses in the UK

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Emma Foody Labour (Co-op) Cramlington and Killingworth
Science & Technology Business & Trade
Context

Small business roundtable in the north-east highlighted issues with digital connectivity. Constituency has high gigabit broadband coverage but concerns remain.

Question

Recently, I attended a roundtable of small businesses in the north-east held at Sage, and a key theme was the need for good connections and digital services to help their businesses grow. Digital connectivity is critical, but it often holds people back. What are the Government doing to ensure that digital infrastructure is strong enough to support local businesses in constituencies such as mine?

Answer from The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology (Feryal Clark)

It is right that not only do we need good online access to services, but businesses also need to be able to connect to those services. The Government are committed to delivering nationwide gigabit connectivity coverage by 2030. Over 94% of premises in her constituency can already access gigabit broadband, including the businesses she mentioned. However, I am happy to meet her to discuss further steps that could be taken.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The specific ask for concrete steps now was not addressed beyond an offer to discuss it in a meeting.

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Q2 Jess Brown-Fuller Lib Dem Chichester
Science & Technology Business & Trade
Context

A new bookshop in Chichester has faced connectivity issues reported by Openreach, indicating a lack of connections in the city centre. The issue is impacting immediate business operations.

Question

The Sussex Bookshop opened in Chichester in December; now it cannot connect to any internet provision because Openreach reports no extra connections for the whole city centre. Reliable internet access is essential for small businesses that need to operate on both high street and online platforms. What steps are being taken to ensure these businesses have access right now, not just by 2030?

Answer from The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology (Feryal Clark)

Businesses across the country should be able to connect, especially given today’s requirements. If the business in her constituency continues experiencing problems, my hon. Friend the Minister for Data Protection and Telecoms would be happy to meet her to discuss further.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The specific ask was not directly addressed; instead, an offer to meet was made without immediate action.

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Q3 Victoria Collins Lib Dem Harpenden and Berkhamsted
Science & Technology Business & Trade
Context

Only around 15% of UK SMEs use AI, lagging behind other countries like Denmark and Finland. The need for a detailed adoption roadmap is highlighted.

Question

Digital services are important across the country for small businesses. However, only about 15% of UK SMEs use AI, which puts us well behind other nations such as Denmark and Finland. Will the Minister commit to publishing a detailed adoption road map covering essential upskilling, data centre capacity, tech vouchers, so that small businesses can deploy AI without being locked out by cost and complexity?

Answer from The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology (Feryal Clark)

The hon. Member will have seen the AI opportunities action plan, which sets out our aspirations for this country, including opportunities for small businesses. The fusion of AI across the economy is top of the agenda. In coming months, she will see more activity on how we will do that.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The specific ask was not fully addressed; instead, a vague reference to future activities was made without concrete commitments or timelines.

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