Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment she has made of the impact of trials of flexible permitting for streetworks on supporting the rollout of gigabit-capable broadband.

The Government will shortly be trialling a more flexible permitting system, which would grant permission to work in multiple streets - as opposed to the current system which requires statutory undertakers to submit a separate permit for every street they work in. This would allow companies carrying out works to move from street to street quickly.

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) is working with the Department for Transport to trial this concept across England. DSIT have appointed an independent contractor to design, oversee and evaluate the trials, which we expect to commence in the second quarter of 2024.

Once trials have concluded, Ministers will consider the results of the evaluation, and decide whether a flexible permitting scheme should be introduced.