5. To ask the First Minister what percentage of the premises contracted for delivery of superfast broadband under the R100 scheme have still to be connected. (S6F-02720)

All homes and businesses across Scotland can currently access a superfast broadband service. The R100 contracts go beyond that by extending access to gigabit-capable broadband, which is more than 30 times faster than what we originally committed to.

Our programme remains on track to complete build and ensure that all contracted premises are connected by 2028. So far, more than 36,100 premises have been connected, and the remainder will be phased between now and 2028.

Despite swingeing cuts from the United Kingdom Government, the Scottish Government has prioritised investment in digital connectivity in the 2024-25 budget, in recognition of the fact that digital connectivity is a key building block for a green and growing economy.

The

R100 scheme was meant to connect more than 114,000 premises—mainly in our rural areas—by 2021. We know from the response to a freedom of information request that only 29 per cent of those premises have been connected, and the figures in the north are even worse—only 15 per cent has been delivered. The date for the north Scotland scheme has slipped to 2028, which is seven years late. Does the First Minister accept that that abject failure by his Government is leaving our rural communities behind? Will the R100 scheme be delayed any further?

The First Minister:

We have a strong track record of delivering successful digital infrastructure—[

Interruption

.]

The Presiding Officer:

Members.

The First Minister:

Our broadband initiatives have delivered almost 1 million connections to date. Douglas Lumsden asks about telecoms, which matter is wholly reserved to the UK Government—well, you could not mark his neck with a blowtorch. We have a strong track record. For rural Scotland, we have invested three times more in the R100 north contract than we have in the central or south contract. Any suggestion that the north of Scotland has been neglected is simply untrue.

Although telecoms legislation is wholly reserved to Westminster, the UK Government has invested just £49.4 million in the R100 programme. That stands in stark contrast to the £592 million that the Scottish Government has invested. If we left it to the UK Government, we would all be using dial-up modems. Thank God, and thank goodness, for the Scottish National Party stepping in.

The Presiding Officer:

Briefly, First Minister.

The First Minister:

Through our efforts, we have delivered more than 1 million broadband connections to Scotland to date.

The Presiding Officer:

We must move on.

The First Minister may recall media coverage of the eye-watering £725,000 quote that Shetland residents were given for getting connected to superfast broadband. Even if vouchers from the broadband voucher scheme were pooled with neighbours, that would not cover the cost. One of my constituents, who is investigating the possibility of a community scheme, has found that inflation has impacted the scheme’s real-terms value. Is it time for a rethink of the voucher scheme offer?

The First Minister:

I am happy to look at the important issue that Beatrice Wishart raises. We have had some success under our R100 programme on a number of our islands, including our most remote islands. Beatrice Wishart asked about Shetland in particular, but our contract build on Fair Isle was delivered almost two years ahead of schedule in one of the country’s most challenging rural locations.

The issues that Beatrice Wishart raises are important. If there are tweaks that we can make, particularly to understand the complexities in our island communities, we are always happy to consider them.