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

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of level of access to superfast fibre broadband in (a) Liverpool West Derby constituency, (b) Merseyside and (c) North West England; and what steps he is taking to increase access to that service in those areas.

According to Thinkbroadband; 99.7% of premises in Liverpool West constituency currently have access to Superfast broadband. 96.8% of premises in the North West, have access to Superfast broadband. Thinkbroadband does not hold specific information for Merseyside.

Despite high levels of access to superfast speeds in these areas, many premises are choosing not to take it up. Current take up rates for broadband stands at 46.6% of premises in the Merseyside area, and 45.2% in the North West.

DCMS run several voucher schemes which are available to the public to help increase broadband services across the UK.

The Better Broadband Voucher Scheme is available to those who are unable to obtain a connection speed above 2Mbps. The Scheme can support access to satellite broadband, or fixed 4G or wireless connections in some locations. The Better Broadband Voucher Scheme will be open for applications until 31st December 2019, ensuring that an affordable basic broadband installation remains available to eligible applicants. Further information is available at:https://basicbroadband.culture.gov.uk/.

In March 2018 the Local Full Fibre Networks programme launched its £67m Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme. Small to medium sized businesses can claim a voucher worth up to £2,500, and residents can claim a voucher worth up to £500 as part of a group project. Businesses and local community groups interested in requesting a voucher can find details of suppliers in their local area on our website at: https://gigabitvoucher.culture.gov.uk/.