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 adequacy of progress toward achieving 99% gigabit accessibility in the West Midlands region by 2032.

Through a combination of commercial market and government subsidised delivery, government is making good progress towards our gigabit coverage target.

Based on Ofcom’s Connected Nations reporting for gigabit coverage in the West Midlands, as of January 2026, 90.2% of West Midlands premises had access to gigabit-capable broadband, which is up from 89.2% in July 2025 and is above the UK gigabit coverage average of 88%. The figures have been calculated by summing the total number of premises and gigabit-capable premises in the 30 local and unitary authorities in the West Midlands region.

Project Gigabit is the government’s programme to deliver gigabit-capable broadband to UK premises that are not included in suppliers' commercial plans. Delivery across the West Midlands is primarily being taken forward through several Project Gigabit contracts, including those covering Herefordshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire, and Worcestershire, alongside wider cross-regional interventions to reach remaining premises.