Broadband Speeds

Part of 1. Questions to the First Minister – in the Senedd at 2:25 pm on 10 December 2019.

Alert me about debates like this

Photo of Mark Drakeford Mark Drakeford Labour 2:25, 10 December 2019

Llywydd, the Welsh Government is not given money by the UK Government for this purpose because this is a non-devolved responsibility. So, the Member's questions would be much better directed to those who are responsible for this matter. What the Welsh Government has done is to use money provided to us for other purposes, and money that we get from the European Union, to make good the failure of the Conservative Government to address the matters—the real, very proper matters—that the Member has raised.

She is quite right to say that the Labour Party, in our manifesto, makes proposals that would address the difficulties that the Member has identified. Under the current universal service obligation. We have a position in Wales that is not universal. It is certainly not an obligation. In some parts of Wales, it's barely a service. The Labour Party and our manifesto recognises that, in the future, broadband will not be a nice-to-have service or an accessory; it will be an important utility, and ought to be treated as a universal service.

We will invest to make sure that those communities right across Wales who rely on broadband for their businesses and for their homes will have it under a Labour Government. People in Wales who are interested in that and who have heard what the Member says will know who they have to vote for in order to get it.