4. 2. Business Statement and Announcement

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 3:10 pm on 13 September 2016.

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Photo of Jane Hutt Jane Hutt Labour 3:10, 13 September 2016

I thank Paul Davies for that question. The Minister for Skills and Science is regularly updating Members. In fact, I met the director of BT Cymru last week and was very pleased to hear of over 90 per cent reach in my constituency, the Vale of Glamorgan. But we have to recognise that, to date, the Welsh Government has spent £32 million on providing superfast broadband access to over 113,000 homes and businesses, importantly across the areas of Pembrokeshire, Carmarthenshire and Ceredigion, through the Superfast Cymru project, with at least 93 per cent of the Haven enterprise zone covered, which I know you will welcome. It is important to recognise also that we have the Access Broadband Cymru scheme, the ultrafast connectivity voucher scheme, and that provides access to fast broadband to 167 premises in Pembrokeshire. I think it is also important to recognise that the UK Government announced late in 2014 that it reached a legally binding agreement with mobile network operators, investing a collective total of £5 billion on infrastructure improvements. So, clearly there is updating—. The Minister will also be not only be updating in terms of your own constituency but on an all-Wales basis in terms of superfast broadband, which is key to our infrastructure, clearly.