Superfast Broadband

Part of Backbench Business — [2nd Allotted Day] – in the House of Commons at 7:52 pm on 12 October 2015.

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Photo of Matt Warman Matt Warman Conservative, Boston and Skegness 7:52, 12 October 2015

I thank the Backbench Business Committee for granting this debate. I do not think that many debates secured by that Committee will have included contributions by Members from Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales and England, and this debate has shown that superfast broadband is genuinely a national problem that needs a national solution.

My hon. Friend Jake Berry suggested a social tariff to emphasise how much this problem affects those who have the least money to spend on subscriptions, and my hon. Friend James Cartlidge said that small providers will play a crucial role in the future. My hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Rishi Sunak) spoke about people leaving villages because of the digital divide, and that emphasises the scope and scale of the problem that we face. This is not just an English problem and it is appropriate to end by citing Liz Saville Roberts, who said that if we want all four corners of these islands to be prosperous, we must create the conditions for economic growth. That is what this debate has been about, and the “not spot” summit that I hope the Government will organise shortly will be a crucial part of the solution to the national problem of superfast broadband roll out. I commend this motion to the House.

Question put and agreed to.

Resolved,

That this House notes variations in the effectiveness of roll-out of fixed and mobile superfast broadband in different parts of the UK; and calls on the Government to host a not-spot summit to consider ways to tackle this issue.