Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether the (a) County Durham, (b) Oxfordshire, (c) Hampshire, (d) Essex and (e) Wokingham phase 2 broadband projects received bids or offers from suppliers other than BT.

County Durham, Hampshire and Essex are procuring their phase 2 broadband projects using the broadband framework. BT is the only supplier on the framework.

Oxfordshire has undertaken its phase 2 procurement through a change control process using its existing contract which was procured through a process advertised in the Official Journal of the European Communities (OJEU) independently from the broadband framework.

West Oxfordshire is completing its own OJEU procurement with alternative supplier partner Cotswold Broadband.

Berkshire (which includes Wokingham) is currently expecting to undertake an independent OJEU procurement exercise, but has yet to issue its invitation to tender.