Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the Project Gigabit procurement process for (a) north Shropshire, (b) mid west Shropshire, (c) Cheshire, (d) west Herefordshire (e) Forest of Dean and (f) the Peak District.

All Project Gigabit contracts in all areas are awarded following a transparent, fair and robust procurement process, during which suppliers are required to prove they have the capability and capacity to meet their obligations.

If this subsequently changes, suppliers are required to inform Building Digital UK, so that the delivery of Project Gigabit can be adapted accordingly.

This is not always a simple process, as commercial operators’ plans and capacity vary, but the scheme is flexible.