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

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what her Department's policy is on supporting the introduction of gaining-provider led processes across the communications market set out in the Switching Principles Action Plan of May 2016.

The Government supports the principle of facilitating a Gaining Provider Led (GPL) switching process covering the communications markets, because the process should be led by the organisation with the most interest in making the switch work effectively for the benefit of consumers, the gaining provider. A GPL switching process is already in place for consumers who switch their fixed landline telephone provider across the Openreach network, which covers the vast majority of phone lines within in the UK, taking up to ten working days. The Government is committed to continuing to reduce the potential barriers that may prevent some consumers from deciding to switch, which is why we have ensured that the Digital Economy Act 2017, made explicit Ofcom's power to set general conditions for switching within the communications markets.