Oral Answers to Questions Debate

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Department: Attorney General

Oral Answers to Questions

Helen Whately Excerpts
Thursday 29th June 2017

(7 years, 5 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Matt Hancock Portrait Matt Hancock
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I absolutely understand the frustration of people running businesses in the hon. Lady’s constituency and others. Getting access to high-speed broadband up to over 93% has been a big and positive task, but we clearly want to make it available to all premises in the country. That is why we legislated for the universal service obligation, and I look forward to ensuring that it happens.

Helen Whately Portrait Helen Whately (Faversham and Mid Kent) (Con)
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Thanks to the Government’s commitment to providing high-speed broadband to rural areas, 8,432 more homes and businesses in my constituency are on high-speed broadband since 2015, but 10% are still not. Will my right hon. Friend assure me that the cap in the important universal broadband service commitment will be high enough to ensure that high-speed broadband reaches the most rural areas in my constituency?

Matt Hancock Portrait Matt Hancock
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It is clearly incredibly important to ensure that universal access to broadband reaches as far as possible. Of course, there are technologies that do not require a physical line, such as fixed wireless broadband, which we can use in really rural areas.