Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published on 31 March 2022, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the BDUK 700 MHZ View Support 2021.

BDUK undertook a review of the 700MHz Spectrum Clearance Programme in June 2021.

The programme successfully cleared the 700MHz spectrum, which has in turn been auctioned by Ofcom to the Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) for 5G and mobile coverage in rural areas. In April 2021, Ofcom announced that £1.38 billion was raised from the auction of the 700MHz spectrum and the 3.6 - 3.8 GHz bands.

The total forecast spend for the programme is £313 million.