Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps he is taking to help reduce barriers to the roll-out of gigabit broadband to rural areas.

We continue to work to remove barriers to the deployment of digital infrastructure, including working with Highways Authorities and operators to trial a more flexible street works permitting system and implementing the remaining provisions of the Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure Act 2022.

Earlier this month, we announced the signature of four new Project Gigabit contracts with Openreach, to roll out gigabit broadband to over 130,000 premises in rural and hard-to-reach areas. More than £2 billion of contracts have now been signed, that will bring fast, reliable broadband to over a million premises in predominantly rural areas.