Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that high speed broadband infrastructure is included in new housing development sites before those houses are occupied.

New build connectivity is a priority for this Government. Ensuring new homes are built with the future in mind, ready to accept the next generation of digital infrastructure, remains vitally important.

The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, supported by my department, issued a policy consultation in 2018 outlining proposals to mandate gigabit-capable connections to new build developments.

Government confirmed its intention to legislate on new build connectivity in the Queen's Speech and the Government response, setting out the next steps, will be issued in the Spring.