Oral Answers to Questions

Jerome Mayhew Excerpts

Wednesday 20th November 2024 Commons Chamber

[Chris Bryant]

I am pleased to say that the Secretary of State says he will indeed visit when he possibly can.

There is a really important point here: poor digital connectivity excludes so many communities up and down this country. We have no chance of creating the economic growth that we want in this country unless we take the whole of the country with us. That is why it is so disgraceful that we have not had a proper digital inclusion strategy for 10 years. That is something we will remedy.

[Jerome Mayhew (Broadland and Fakenham) (Con)]

4. What assessment he has made of the potential impact of using Project Gigabit funding in urban areas on download speeds in rural areas.

[Chris Bryant]

Project Gigabit has always been designed to deliver gigabit-capable broadband to premises that will not be met by the market, regardless of whether they are in urban or rural areas. Most premises deemed uncommercial by the market are in rural areas, but consistent evidence suggests that we will also need to intervene in some urban areas to achieve full national gigabit coverage. Funding will continue to be provided where it is needed.

[Jerome Mayhew]

There are 11,500 houses that will be connected to fibre as a result of the Conservative Project Gigabit policy. There is real concern that some of those will miss out if money is redirected from rural to urban communities. After the family farm tax, can we please give rural communities a break?