Written question asked by Anthony Steen (Conservative) on Thursday, 30 January 2003, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 4 February 2003. It was answered by Stephen Timms (Labour) on Tuesday, 4 February 2003 on behalf of the Department of Trade and Industry.

Dept of Trade and Industry

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, if she will list the local exchanges in South Devon which (a) have been enabled for broadband access and (b) remain without; what the Government's strategy is for increasing broadband facilities; and what the timetable is for delivering these services to South Devon.

Answer: Mr. Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will list the local exchanges in South Devon which (a) have been enabled for broadband access and (b) remain without; what the Government's strategy is for increasing broadband facilities; and what the timetable is for delivering these services to South Devon. [95520] Mr. Timms: The Government's UK Broadband Task Force aims to increase broadband facilities by stimulating the market to increase the roll out and take up of broadband throughout the UK, particularly in those areas never previously served by a mass market, terrestrial solution. The Task Force will also be focusing on the aggregation of public sector demand for broadband in a bid to accelerate roll out and render it more efficient. There is no specific timetable for delivering broadband services to South Devon in particular; nor does the Government keep lists of which exchanges have and have not been upgraded to deliver ADSL in that area. A list of those exchanges in BT's demand registration scheme where a trigger level has been set can be found at www.bt.com/broadband.

Secondary information