In response to Mr Halcro Johnston’s questions, I say that there is an important need for a collaborative, joined-up approach. We should recognise that, given the particular challenges that we face on connectivity in some parts of our country, flexibility and willingness to work with local partners will be extremely important. Those are particular points that I, and ministers in general, are keen to reflect on. We recognise the need to get things absolutely right and that a one-size-fits-all approach will not necessarily deliver the results that our hardest-to-reach communities require.

I return to the points that I have already raised. We want to build on our success and to extend gigabit broadband access even further. UK Government funding is, of course, key to the next phase, and we have been working constructively to secure Scotland’s fair share of the £5 billion commitment to project gigabit. We recently launched two new procurements that are focused on parts of the Borders, East Lothian and north-east Scotland, and more procurements are expected to follow throughout the year. Every new project gigabit contract that is signed will see even more funding invested in Scotland to deliver connectivity to homes and businesses that need it.

A separate UK-wide framework, which we will work with the UK Government to deliver in Scotland, provides more opportunities to drive economies of scale across project gigabit and R100 contracts and increase coverage. However, it will require the incoming UK Government to match our ambition and our investment in Scotland’s digital infrastructure. I reassure Carol Mochan that we want to work constructively to deliver on those commitments and ambitions.

I also recognise the concerns that have been raised regarding the PSTN switch-off. The existing telephone network across the UK uses older technology and is increasingly unreliable and difficult to repair, which puts those who depend on it at risk. For that reason, the telecoms industry has decided to replace the traditional land line telephone service with a digital service by the start of 2027.

There will be no change to the statutory responsibilities that providers are currently bound to. Telecoms providers have committed to the UK Government that they will work with the Government and Ofcom to identify and protect vulnerable customers, to ensure that no telecare customers are migrated until a solution is in place and—I know that this point is of interest to members—to provide back-up solutions, where required, that go beyond the Ofcom minimum of one hour of continued, uninterrupted access to emergency services in the event of a power outage.

We will continue to support the UK Government and Ofcom and make sure that there is a proper understanding of any risks that are faced by Scotland’s island and rural communities, enabling any issues to be resolved ahead of 2027.

The Scottish Government is also acutely aware of the issues that rural and island communities are facing with regard to smart meters. While the powers to act still lie with the UK Government, we continue to call on it to ensure that Scottish consumers are not disadvantaged and will be able to benefit from smart meter technology. My colleague Gillian Martin, who is now acting Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero and Energy, raised those issues during her engagement with her counterpart in the UK Government and Ofgem. Smart meter roll-out was a key area of focus at the rural energy consumers working group meeting that Gillian Martin chaired last year.

More than a quarter of radio teleswitch service customers across the UK are based in Scotland. That is a disproportionately high number. Those customers are typically located in areas with no mains gas supply, such as rural areas near the Borders and some areas in the Highlands and Islands. Gillian Martin recently wrote to all major energy suppliers, calling on them to prioritise properties in Scotland that have that type of meter as they progress their smart meter roll-out programmes. She has also written to local media to raise awareness of the pending switch-off, as was touched on earlier in the debate. I know that she, along with the new acting Minister for Climate Action, Dr Alasdair Allan, and their officials, will continue to engage with the industry to monitor progress and ensure a smooth and quick transition for Scottish consumers.

The Scottish Government has raised and will continue to raise awareness of the issues that are facing our rural and island communities. We remain committed to improving Scotland’s digital future and ensuring that every community in Scotland can play an active part in the digital economy.

The investment that we have made over the past decade has transformed access to broadband and mobile services. The programmes that we have delivered have connected more than 1 million homes and businesses across Scotland to faster broadband, backed by more than £1 billion of public-driven investment. We want to go further, but we will need the new UK Government to step up and invest in Scotland in a way that has not been done before. We stand ready to work with it and local partners to build on the success of the Scottish Government’s programmes and ensure that all our rural and island communities can play an active role in Scotland’s digital economy.