Oral Answers to Questions

Alex Burghart Excerpts

Thursday 16th November 2017 Commons Chamber

[Ross Thomson (Aberdeen South) (Con)]

1. What recent progress her Department has made on reaching the Government’s superfast broadband target for the end of 2017.

[Alex Burghart (Brentwood and Ongar) (Con)]

14. What recent progress her Department has made on reaching the Government’s superfast broadband target for the end of 2017.

[Mr Speaker]

I call the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.

--- Later in debate ---

[Karen Bradley]

I am disappointed to hear about the superfast coverage in my hon. Friend’s constituency, because this Government have put the resources behind the superfast programme, but we are obviously reliant on local authorities, and, in the case of Scotland, the Scottish Government, to deliver the superfast programme. But we have always said that superfast gives good connectivity to as many people as possible as quickly as possible, but full fibre is the future, and the fact that Aberdeen is in the pilot is good news for his constituents.

[Alex Burghart]

I am grateful to the Secretary of State for her answer. People and businesses in my constituency are hungry for full-fibre broadband; when will they get it?

[Karen Bradley]

We are determined to make sure that all businesses and people living in my hon. Friend’s constituency are able to access the broadband speeds they need to ensure they can be part of the digital revolution in our economy. I assure my hon. Friend that we will deliver full fibre to his constituency as soon as practicable.