10. Will the First Minister make a statement on the roll-out of the Superfast Cymru programme in Montgomeryshire? OAQ(5)0594(FM)

The Superfast Cymru scheme has, to date, facilitated the roll-out of superfast broadband access to over 46,500 homes and businesses across Powys, including, of course, Montgomeryshire, delivering average speeds of 87 Mbps and investing over £13.3 million.

Thank you, First Minister. We are now eight months away from the drop-dead date, when the Superfast Cymru project—. It does seem to have a continuing miscommunication issue with residents. I’ve been contacted, for example, by one constituent from Adfa who has complained that even though he had confirmation of superfast broadband via fibre-to-the-premises technology in February of this year—also confirmed to me in writing by the Minister—he has now been told that the situation has changed, and the technology to be used is fibre to the cabinet, and that he now is too far away from the cabinet to benefit from the upgrade. So, the situation here, I think, I hope you’ll agree, is unacceptable: one minute he’s told that he’s going to receive up to 330 MB, and then the goalpost is changed to find out that he’s not going to benefit at all. Now, back in February, there could have been other solutions that he could have taken forward through other technologies, which are no longer available. Would you agree with me that it’s important that people are given the right information in the first place?

Absolutely. Perhaps, if the Member could write to me with the details of his constituent’s problem, I will, of course, investigate.

Thank you, First Minister.