Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much of the Rural Community Broadband Fund was (a) spent and (b) returned to the EU.

As a result of the Rural Community Broadband Fund in England, the Government is expected to grant fund around £13.2 million for 22 projects. These projects are both community and local authority led, in areas not in scope of the current national superfast rollout programme. Of this, 17 local authority led projects are to be incorporated into current contracts under the main programme to increase coverage to harder to reach communities. Five further projects have been contracted under the Fund.

No money has been returned to the EU. Where possible, any remaining EU funds are being utilised elsewhere across the Rural Development Programme for England.