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Written question asked by John Whitby (Labour) on Monday, 15 September 2025, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 13 October 2025. It was answered by Kanishka Narayan (Labour) on Tuesday, 14 October 2025 on behalf of the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.

Building Digital UK: Contracts

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that delays to broadband rollout are minimised when a Building Digital UK contract is terminated.

Answer

Project Gigabit is designed to adapt in the event a contracted supplier can no longer complete its planned delivery, utilising a mix of contracts and interventions to enable us to continue to bring fast, reliable broadband to hard-to-reach premises across the UK. This process is intended to mitigate the potential impact of contract terminations on rural communities and to ensure that delays to the rollout of Project Gigabit are minimised.

In May 2025, Building Digital UK (BDUK) and Full Fibre mutually agreed to terminate the Project Gigabit contract for the Peak District, which included some premises in the Derbyshire Dales constituency.

BDUK is now engaging with suppliers to review alternative options for extending coverage in this region. The coverage that can be provided, and the timescale for its delivery, will depend on what suppliers are able to offer within the public funding that can be made available, and we are keen to ensure this happens as quickly as possible.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
77433
Session
2024-26
Grouped for answer
Yes
Subjects
Contracts Building Digital UK
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk