Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, pursuant to the Answer of 17 March 2023 to Question 165420 on Broadband: Leicestershire, what recent progress her Department has made on delivering fast and reliable broadband in (a) Bosworth constituency and (b) Leicestershire.

We continue to make good progress in delivering fast, reliable broadband across the UK. Over 69% of premises in Bosworth can now access a gigabit-capable broadband connection. This is up from 67% in March 2023. Gigabit-capable coverage across Leicestershire has risen from 70% to over 72% in the same period.

On 23 March 2023 Building Digital UK (BDUK) launched a procurement, as part of Project Gigabit, inviting broadband suppliers to bid for a contract to bring gigabit-capable broadband to premises in Leicestershire, including in Bosworth, that are currently not in broadband suppliers' commercial plans.

Leicestershire County Council is also continuing to deliver a GigaHubs project, funded by BDUK, which is due to be completed in March 2024. This project includes the delivery of gigabit-capable broadband to 12 public sector sites in Bosworth that are not due to be covered commercially. To date, a connection has already been delivered to two of these sites; Barlestone CE Primary and Desford Library.