2. To ask the Scottish Government when physical work will start with the delivery of lot 1 of the R100 high-speed broadband programme. (S5O-04397)

The contract award for lot 1—the north lot—of our reaching 100 per cent programme is on hold, pending the outcome of a legal challenge from Gigaclear Ltd. Physical work will start as soon as possible following the conclusion of those proceedings.

In the meantime, we are developing a Scottish broadband voucher scheme, for which anyone who will not have a superfast broadband connection delivered through the R100 contracts, or delivered commercially by the end of 2021, will be eligible. That approach aims to honour our commitment on access to superfast broadband by the end of 2021.

The people in the Highlands are frustrated by the Scottish Government’s failure to deliver on its promise of broadband by 2021. I have a simple question for the minister, and I ask that he respond without blaming anyone else. When will he deliver superfast broadband in the Highlands, as he promised? Will that be in 2026 or in 2027?

It is difficult to know where to start in responding to that question, Presiding Officer.

The Deputy Presiding Officer:

Do not make it too long.

Edward Mountain’s question is founded on the false premise that there has been no progress whatsoever in the situation.

Highland Council, which is close to Mr Mountain’s heart, has seen progress between January 2014, when 20.3 per cent of premises could have had superfast access, and June of this year, when the figure is 80.5 per cent. That is an increase of 60 percentage points, reflecting a far faster rate of increase than there has been across the United Kingdom as a whole.

As Mr Mountain knows, broadband provision, like all telecoms issues, is a reserved matter. The Scottish Government is intervening to address market failure, and the R100 programme will deliver, although we have clearly been delayed by the current legal proceedings, which we cannot fast track—we will have to wait for their outcome.

I assure Mr Mountain and everyone whom he represents in the Highlands and Islands that they will be eligible for the voucher funding that will be available from this summer onwards. Through the online checker that we are developing to provide information at a premises level, his constituents should be able to tell whether they are eligible for R100 and when it will deliver to their premises. If that is likely to be beyond the end of 2021, they will be able to use the voucher funding to deliver a solution.

The Deputy Presiding Officer:

I know that that answer was needed, but can answers be briefer, please?

I call Liam McArthur for a brief supplementary question.

The lockdown has cruelly exposed the digital divide that still exists between the haves and the have-nots. For example, my constituents on Hoy have highlighted the poor service that they have had—if they have received any service at all—for which they pay the full cost. What assurance can the minister provide that the delayed implementation of R100 will prioritise roll-out in areas such as Orkney, which have the lowest level of coverage?

Liam McArthur raises a fair point. We are acutely aware of how important digital connectivity has been not just for MSPs but for all our constituents in trying to address the challenges of continuing to work from home, home schooling children and accessing telehealth in areas such as Orkney. The importance of investment in infrastructure in Orkney, as in other rural and island communities, is not lost on me or my colleagues in the Scottish Government.

I reassure Mr McArthur that we are looking at how, in the recovery plan, we can prioritise investment to address areas of poor coverage for both mobile and broadband. There are a couple of sites in the Orkney area—Rackwick and Deerness—that I hope will also benefit from the Scottish 4G infill programme on the mobile connectivity side. I hope to liaise with him about that.

Mr McArthur’s point is well made. The Scottish Government well understands the benefits of digital infrastructure, and we are keen to address poor coverage in areas such as Orkney.