Caroline Voaden
Main Page: Caroline Voaden (Liberal Democrat - South Devon)Department Debates - View all Caroline Voaden's debates with the Leader of the House
(1 day, 23 hours ago)
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Lucy Powell
I agree with my hon. Friend. The Scottish Government have received a record settlement from this Government as a result of our recent Budget, and they have no excuse for making the cuts that she describes in health and social care.
Caroline Voaden (South Devon) (LD)
Large areas of rural South Hams in my constituency of South Devon are still struggling with almost prehistoric broadband speeds. The company that was tasked with rolling out full-fibre broadband was astonishingly allowed to walk away from its contract after building the easy urban bits, leaving all the hard-to-reach areas behind. Will the Leader of the House agree to a debate in Government time on how the Government can underwrite the roll-out of high-speed broadband in areas where it is not commercially viable, because broadband is as important to the rural economy as electricity?
Lucy Powell
The hon. Lady is absolutely right. To rural communities—indeed, to any community—broadband really is the fourth utility. It is vital to her constituents and many others in their daily lives, for doing what they need to do. We have inherited a pretty poor record when it comes to roll-out, but we are trying to speed it up through Project Gigabit and the shared rural network. Nevertheless, I have heard the hon. Lady’s request for a debate.