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

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what plans his Department has to improve access to high speed internet for people in (a) former dockyard areas and (b) rural communities.

Current superfast broadband coverage is over 80% of UK premises and the Government remains committed to providing access to superfast broadband for 95% of homes and businesses by December 2017. In areas of the country covered by the Superfast Broadband Programme, projects are managed by Local Authorities who can agree their own priority areas with their supplier. There is no superfast broadband project under the programme in London, but small and medium sized enterprises in London are eligible for grants of up to £3,000 to improve their broadband connections under the Broadband Connection Voucher Scheme.