Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Viscount Camrose on 27 September (HL10227), when the temporary pause to the Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme was introduced; when the work to launch the new procurements will be completed; and for what reason they closed the Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme while the procurements were taking place.
Answered by Viscount Camrose - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme was paused in Northern Ireland on 6 July 2023. The voucher scheme is paused ahead of planned procurements across an area, to enable the intervention area to be defined and to avoid the doubling up of public subsidy for eligible premises.
Procurements in Northern Ireland are currently due to launch in the first half of 2024, with the aim to award a contract to the successful supplier by Autumn 2024.
Where the scope of voucher projects will not impact on procurement planning, these may be approved and can continue to be delivered throughout the voucher pause period.
Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Viscount Camrose on 28 September (HL10228), how many of the 97 voucher project applications came from Northern Ireland.
Answered by Viscount Camrose - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The number of voucher project applications awaiting approval is dynamic and changes regularly. As of 30 November 2023, there are eight outstanding voucher project applications for Northern Ireland pending a decision.
Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is the breakdown by constituency of the number of applications to the Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme that are still outstanding.
Answered by Viscount Camrose - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Over 120,000 vouchers have been issued so far under the Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme and its previous iterations. To date, over 100,000 of these vouchers have been used to connect premises to gigabit-capable broadband.
Building Digital UK (BDUK) is working closely with all active suppliers registered on the scheme to identify areas and approve projects in parts of the UK where a voucher-funded project has a good likelihood of delivering gigabit coverage faster than the procurement approach and represents good value for money. There are currently only 97 voucher project applications pending a decision. This data is not currently broken down at a constituency level.
Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether there is a delay in issuing vouchers in Northern Ireland under the Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme for rural broadband connectivity.
Answered by Viscount Camrose - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
As part of Project Gigabit, we are planning to launch procurements in Northern Ireland, to bring gigabit-capable broadband to premises that will not be reached by suppliers’ commercial plans.
Work is under way to identify the premises requiring support, and a temporary pause to the Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme for projects in Northern Ireland was initiated to enable the intervention area to be defined.
Building Digital UK (BDUK) is working closely with all active suppliers registered on the voucher scheme to identify areas where a voucher-funded project has a good likelihood of delivering gigabit coverage faster than the procurement route and represents good value for money. These areas are designated as voucher priority areas, meaning that suppliers are able to continue to build voucher-funded projects in these areas throughout procurement.