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

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how much has been clawed back from providers in the Broadband UK programme as a result of a higher than anticipated take-up of broadband.

Superfast contracts include a take-up clawback mechanism to ensure public subsidies within the Superfast infrastructure are kept to a minimum. Clawback is generated over a 7 year period following completion of build implementation, based on customer take-up of service. Current estimates project take-up clawback to be at least £712m over this 7 year period. Some of this clawback has been returned early by agreement with the suppliers, and this is being reinvested.