5. Statement by the Leader of the House and Chief Whip: Broadband Update

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 4:28 pm on 23 October 2018.

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Photo of Julie James Julie James Labour 4:28, 23 October 2018

I find it very frustrating that we're building new houses and estates and we don't put the futureproofing in for the connections. As the Member knows, we've had extensive discussions about it. One of the things I will say is we have now—. I've worked very hard with my Cabinet Secretary colleague, and we will be putting planning guidance out, because I do think councils should be insisting in their 106 connection agreements that the ducting is in, and all the rest of it, and I do think councils need to get more proactive about that. We have had extensive conversations with the house builders. BT has reached an agreement now, subsequent to the building of the estate you're talking about, that where a house builder is building over 30 homes they will put the connection in. But you predate that. I hope that the business exploitation team has actually come up to help with the community assessment and to facilitate some of that. If they haven't, let's have a conversation about how we can facilitate that. There are ways of helping the residents pull the scheme together, pull the broadband access voucher scheme together, and as soon as I'm in a position to announce the last lot, I will be able to announce further community packages that might be helpful in the regard that you're talking about. But, yes, I think the house builder has some responsibility to the people who have bought the houses. I will reiterate the point: it is surprising to me that people don't knock the cost of the connection off the cost of the house, but, as yet, the market has not moved.