Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate his Department has made of the number of households who have been given an internet connection under his Department’s scheme to support remote learning during the covid-19 outbreak in (a) London and (b) England.

The Government is providing over 200,000 laptops and tablets to disadvantaged children who would otherwise not have access and are preparing for examinations in Year 10, receiving support from a social worker or are a care leaver. Where care leavers, children with a social worker at secondary school and disadvantaged children in Year 10 do not have internet connections, we are providing 4G wireless routers. The Department has purchased over 50,000 4G wireless routers.

Computer devices have been allocated to local authorities and academy trusts based on the Department’s estimates of the number of disadvantaged and vulnerable children that do not have access to a device. The Department invited local authorities to order devices for the most vulnerable children first - children with a social worker and care leavers. Devices are being delivered to local authorities daily and will continue to be distributed throughout June.

Alongside the 4G wireless routers, to support disadvantaged households who rely on a mobile internet connection, the Department is working with major telecoms companies to help ensure that disadvantaged and vulnerable families can access free additional data while COVID-19 requires children to learn from home. This is in addition to the support from broadband providers that the Government has already announced for those with fixed cap broadband or who run into arrears with their broadband payments.