Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 4:13 pm on 16 November 2022.
Diolch yn fawr. Can I thank everybody who has contributed? And at the risk of becoming embroiled in this debate as to who's responsible for what, I think it's pretty clear; the first substantive section of our report as a committee, on page 2, starts with the words 'Telecommunications is a reserved matter', so it is clear. But that doesn't absolve the Welsh Government from some responsibility, because there are other areas of policies, such as planning, for example, that have a key role to play, leveraging private investment through various initiatives as well. There's plenty that everybody could be doing to try and further the agenda that we're all supportive of here, regardless of who we think is primarily at fault for this, that and the other.
But, of course, as a committee, we can't make recommendations to the UK Government, because they're not beholden to our committee in any way, therefore our very first recommendation is to the Welsh Government to engage with the UK Government, because that's the only way we can do it, to ensure that they do develop new initiatives to meet the particular needs of Wales. And I have to say, the reality is—and there's no getting away from this, regardless of who you think is to blame—the money being provided by the UK Government does not reflect the particular issues we have in Wales, and I mentioned the mountainous topography, et cetera; it's more expensive to roll out broadband in Wales than it is in other parts of the UK. The UK Government doesn't recognise that in its funding, and that is why the Welsh Government has stepped up and plugged that gap. But, in the current economic climate, the Welsh Government cannot justify continuing to do that. So, you can't have it both ways. We have to focus on devolved matters here primarily. Yes, we can do other things, but the reality is that the UK Government have to step up now and reflect the true cost of rolling out broadband in Wales, which is something they haven't done for many, many years.
Luke referred to this as a necessary and enabling service, and referenced older people, those with disabilities, younger people, and unemployed people looking for work. And that reminded me, actually, that there is another element in our report about some possible disconnect between Government policies here, because one of the policies is for 30 per cent of the workforce to be working from home in future, based on climate considerations, et cetera. Well, many of these people will not be able to work from home because of a failure of policy in this particular area. The digital first policy, in terms of if you are applying for a basic payment, then as a farmer you have to primarily use the digital means of applying for that, but, of course, they are the very people who have probably the least access, as a profession, to being able to do that. So, I think we do need to join up some of the thinking around this as well.
Carolyn, I'm glad you mentioned the Bangor University DSP initiative. I'm visiting tomorrow morning, so I can't wait, really, to learn about some of the innovative solutions that they're bringing forward there, especially for some of the rural communities.
Mabon ap Gwynfor mentioned the vouchers system, and the Minister mentioned the Welsh Government top-up. Of course, what's unfortunate is that I now have constituents of mine who were preparing themselves and waiting for vouchers to come through, dependent on the Welsh Government funding as part of that, who are now left without that funding, meaning that the whole proposal collapses. It's unfortunate that maybe some of those who were at a certain point should have still been able to access some funds, and maybe the Minister could consider whether some particular support is available for those. Although, some of those that were part of those initiatives have now peeled away and done their own thing, and the whole thing is maybe not as viable as it would have been, and that is very unfortunate. And, of course, it's the Welsh Government that gets it then for pulling the plug, whereas, of course, we've spoken about who maybe should have been funding that in the first place.
Thank you, Alun, for reminding us about the remit of Ofcom. I think you're right; there was a strategic mistake there in terms of focusing on consumers, although, of course, that's the nature of the beast. But, we are looking here about access for everyone in terms of broadband and the wider needs of citizens rather than a particular focus on consumers.
Minister, I am grateful that you've accepted all of our recommendations. Consensus has broken out, on that front at least, but, of course, it remains to be seen whether action and change will follow, whoever is responsible for achieving that, but certainly, we as a committee will be revisiting this area regularly over coming months and years to ensure that no stone is left unturned in terms of connectivity, and that no business and no household is left behind. Diolch.