Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions his Department has had with the Scottish Government on the Local Full Fibre Networks programme, announced in Spring Budget 2017.

The LFFN programme has engaged regularly with Scottish government officials on the overall programme and on specific initiatives, and collaborated with Scottish Government to run a joint regional event in December 2017 for Scottish Local Authorities, advising them how to bid into the £190m Challenge Fund. We are also in regular discussion with the Scottish Government around the R100 Programme, to ensure alignment between our programmes.

LFFN is delivering significant benefits in Scotland. Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire was selected as a pilot areas ahead of the launch of the £67m Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme. The Highlands of Scotland were one of the successful bidders announced in the Chancellor’s Spring Statement in 2018, and we are also currently in communication with several Scottish Local Authorities regarding their interest in bidding for the next round of the Challenge Fund.