Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, how much and what proportion of the remaining budget for Project Gigabit has been allocated to rural areas.

Almost £2 billion of Project Gigabit contracts are in place, with a further £750 million allocated in live and planned procurements.

Project Gigabit spend is reported in Building Digital UK’s (BDUK) annual report and accounts. Total capital Project Gigabit spend in 2021/22 and 2022/23 was £90.9 million. Spend for 2023/24 will be published in BDUK’s next annual report and accounts.

The purpose of Project Gigabit is to fund the rollout of gigabit-capable broadband to UK premises that would otherwise not be reached by suppliers' commercial plans. Most of these will be in rural locations, but to achieve full gigabit coverage, and consistent with the programme’s original design, we will also need to address any pockets of poor connectivity in urban areas, removing barriers to efficient build plans and allocating funding where it is needed.