Written question asked by James Gray (Conservative) on Friday, 24 October 2008, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 28 October 2008. It was answered by Ian Pearson (Labour) on Thursday, 6 November 2008 on behalf of the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform.

Broadband

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate he has made of how many households do not have access to broadband in (a) North Wiltshire, (b) Wiltshire, (c) Swindon and (d) England.

Answer: I have been asked to reply.The matter raised is the responsibility of the independent regulator, the Office of Communications (Ofcom), which is accountable to Parliament rather than Ministers. Accordingly, I have asked the Chief Executive of Ofcom to reply directly to the hon. Member. Copies of the Chief Executive's letter will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.We are committed however to looking seriously at the issue of broadband availability and will consider this in more detail over the coming months, in particular through the Digital Britain Report (DBR). We launched the DBR on 17 October, with a programme of work leading to a final report in spring 2009. The DBR will bring forward proposals for both Government and industry, to support the development of the digital communications and broadcasting sectors, and has at its core an ambition to accelerate the rate of growth, and cement the UK's position as a world leader in the knowledge and learning economy. One strand of this work will look at options for maximising broadband participation and levels of service.

Secondary information

Type: Written question
Reference: 482 c709W; 231463
Session: 2007-08
Related items: Deposited Paper DEP2008-2614
Thursday, 6 November 2008
Deposited papers
House of Commons
Subjects: Broadband
Link: View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk