Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what progress his Department has made on gigabit voucher take-up in rural areas.

The Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme provides a subsidy of up to £4,500 towards the cost of installing gigabit-capable broadband to homes and businesses via local community broadband projects.

As of March 2024, 296,400 premises were able to take-up a gigabit-capable broadband connection as a result of the Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme, the vast majority of which are in rural areas.

We continue to support broadband suppliers to deliver voucher projects that have been approved as part of Project Gigabit.