Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, how many gigabit broadband scheme vouchers have been (a) applied for and (b) granted as part of phase two of that scheme.

Overall, under the Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme and previous iterations, over 108,000 vouchers have been used to connect rural premises to a gigabit-capable connection.

Phase two of the Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme was implemented on 5 December 2022. As part of this phase, we increased the maximum voucher value available for homes and businesses to £4,500.

Since December 2022, Building Digital UK (BDUK) has received applications for over 12,800 vouchers, of which over 12,000 have been approved and issued to date.