Telecommunications Infrastructure (Leasehold Property) Bill Debate

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Department: Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport

Telecommunications Infrastructure (Leasehold Property) Bill

William Wragg Excerpts
Report stage & 3rd reading & 3rd reading: House of Commons & Report stage: House of Commons
Tuesday 10th March 2020

(5 years, 10 months ago)

Commons Chamber
Read Full debate Telecommunications Infrastructure (Leasehold Property) Act 2021 Read Hansard Text Read Debate Ministerial Extracts Amendment Paper: Consideration of Bill Amendments as at 10 March 2020 - large font accessible version (PDF) - (10 Mar 2020)
Oliver Dowden Portrait Oliver Dowden
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Of course it can be done now without Huawei, but what we have set out is, first, the cap, at 35%, and then the process of diversification to get from that point—

William Wragg Portrait Mr William Wragg (Hazel Grove) (Con)
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Will my right hon. Friend allow me?

Oliver Dowden Portrait Oliver Dowden
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I will allow one more intervention, but then I should make some progress.

William Wragg Portrait Mr Wragg
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Could my right hon. Friend kindly explain the rationale behind 35%? Why not a per cent. more or a per cent. less?

Oliver Dowden Portrait Oliver Dowden
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The rationale, as decided by the National Security Council, on advice from the agencies, was that that was a sustainable point—a cap from which we could start to work down. As my hon. Friend well knows, of course, there is a degree of arbitrariness in any number, but on balance it was decided that 35% was the appropriate place for us to land.