Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to improve internet access in rural areas of Newbury constituency.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
According to the independent website Thinkbroadband.com, 99% of premises in the Newbury constituency can already access superfast broadband speeds (>=30 Mbps), and 90% can access a gigabit-capable broadband connection.
To improve this further, Openreach is delivering a Project Gigabit contract across West Berkshire. Approximately 1,150 homes and businesses in the Newbury constituency are currently set to benefit from this contract, with the vast majority located in rural areas. Additionally, premises in the constituency are expected to be connected by suppliers’ commercial rollout plans.
Ofcom also reports that 96% of rural areas in the Newbury constituency have 4G geographic coverage from all four mobile operators, while 5G is available outside 72% of rural premises from at least one operator. Our ambition is for all populated areas, including rural communities, to have higher quality standalone 5G by 2030 and we will work closely with mobile network operators who are delivering this.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of developing an integrated digital strategy in West Berkshire.
Answered by Feryal Clark
We are committed to supporting public service productivity in all regions of the UK, and that includes helping unlock the benefits of digital transformation. The Blueprint for modern digital government launched in January sets out a six-point plan for public sector digital transformation. Government Digital Service has been engaging with local digital practitioners from across the UK, including West Berkshire specifically, as part of the local government collaboration sprint. Work across local government includes expanding GOV.UK One Login and other common components; supporting innovation and reforms in the local government technology market and enabling greater access to data through the National Data Library.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what plans hi Department has expand the roll out of Project Gigabit in (a) Kintbury, (b) Boxford, (c) Lambourn, (d) Great Shefford and (e) Newbury constituency.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
According to the independent website Thinkbroadband.com, 99% of premises in the Newbury constituency can already access superfast broadband speeds (>=30 Mbps), and almost 87% can access a gigabit-capable broadband connection.
To extend gigabit-capable coverage further, approximately 1,600 premises in the constituency are currently included in a Project Gigabit contract being delivered by Openreach. This includes eligible premises in Kintbury, Boxford, Lambourn and Great Shefford.
Additionally, a significant number of premises in the constituency are expected to be connected through the commercial market.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether his Department plans to accelerate the rollout of 5G to rural communities.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Yes, Government wants all of the UK to benefit from 5G and our ambition is for all populated areas, including rural areas, to have higher-quality standalone 5G by 2030. That is why we are working closely with the mobile telephony industry and are committed to ensuring we have the right policy and regulatory framework to support investment and competition in the market. As part of this work, the Government intends to reform the planning system to make it easier to build digital infrastructure. Ofcom reports that basic (non-standalone) 5G is available outside 69% of rural premises across the UK from at least one mobile operator compared to 96% of urban areas.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of rural broadband coverage.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
It is inadequate, but we are working on it. According to figures published by Ofcom earlier this year, 88% of premises in rural areas can get superfast broadband speeds, and 47% have access to a gigabit-capable connection.
Under Project Gigabit, almost £2 billion has already been allocated in contracts to connect homes and businesses that will not be reached by suppliers' commercial rollout. These premises are predominantly in rural areas.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps he plans to take to promote the safe use of artificial intelligence.
Answered by Feryal Clark
The Government wants to see AI adopted widely to realise its potential productivity benefits, and regulatory clarity will help drive this adoption. That is why we committed in our manifesto to introduce binding regulations on the handful of companies developing the most powerful AI systems. We also intend to put the AI Safety Institute on a statutory footing. The AISI conducts research and model evaluations to assess the capabilities of frontier AI systems and works with developers, and international partners, to enhance the safety of models.