Thursday Volume 671 13 February 2020 No. 27 HOUSE OF COMMONS OFFICIAL REPORT PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES (HANSARD) Thursday 13 February 2020 © Parliamentary Copyright House of Commons 2020 This publication may be reproduced under the terms of the Open Parliament licence, which is published at www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright/. 949 13 FEBRUARY 2020 950 funding, which we will talk about in much greater detail House of Commons in the Budget and beyond, will see us work with local authorities, particularly in areas such as west Oxfordshire, Thursday 13 February 2020 to get this broadband rolled out there as quickly as possible. The House met at half-past Nine o’clock Gagan Mohindra: Does my hon. Friend agree that no business should be held back because of poor broadband infrastructure? Can he confirm that this one nation PRAYERS Conservative Government are making record investment in levelling up digital infrastructure? [MR SPEAKER in the Chair] Matt Warman: I can. The value of superfast and gigabit broadband to businesses is enormous, and it will allow the businesses of the future to power this country’s Oral Answers to Questions economy. It is the fact that those benefits can be shared so widely that makes the £5 billion Government investment so valuable. DIGITAL, CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT David Duguid: The percentage of residents without access to superfast broadband in Banff and Buchan has The Minister of State was asked— decreased from 18% to 16% in the last two years, but that is still far too many and nowhere near fast enough Broadband in both senses. In 2020, decent broadband is a necessity for everyone in my constituency, not a luxury. Can the 1. Robert Courts (Witney) (Con): What steps his Minister assure me and my constituents that the Department is taking to help support the roll-out of Government will do all they can, including keeping up (a) full-fibre and (b) gigabit-capable broadband to homes pressure on the Scottish Government, to accelerate the and businesses throughout the UK by 2025. [900773] roll-out of superfast broadband to my constituents? 3. Gagan Mohindra (South West Hertfordshire) (Con): Matt Warman: Like my hon. Friend, I welcome the What steps his Department is taking to help support the progress that has been made in his constituency, but roll-out of (a) full-fibre and (b) gigabit-capable broadband there is more to do. I recently spoke with my Scottish to homes and businesses throughout the UK by 2025. counterpart, Paul Wheelhouse, and the sense that we [900776] can work together to deliver this vital programme means 5. David Duguid (Banff and Buchan) (Con): What that perhaps in Scotland we can have more broadband steps his Department is taking to help support the and less party politics. roll-out of (a) full-fibre and (b) gigabit-capable broadband to homes and businesses throughout the UK by 2025. Miss Dines: Does my hon. Friend agree that remote [900778] communities in the Derbyshire Dales, such as Chelmorton, Stanton in Peak, Birchover, Taddington and Cressbrook, 6. Miss Sarah Dines (Derbyshire Dales) (Con): What like other parts of the country, need to be levelled up steps his Department is taking to help support the and have a chance of getting decent broadband, because roll-out of (a) full-fibre and (b) gigabit-capable broadband they have been forgotten? to homes and businesses throughout the UK by 2025. [900779] Matt Warman: It is precisely because of the needs of remote areas such as those in her constituency that we The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Digital, are investing £5 billion in gigabit-capable broadband. I Culture, Media and Sport (Matt Warman): Gigabit know that, with her speaking up on behalf of her broadband roll-out is accelerating, and as a result of the constituents, they will by no means be left behind. steps that the Government are taking, full-fibre coverage has doubled in the past year.Wehave introduced legislation Chi Onwurah (Newcastle upon Tyne Central) (Lab): to make it easier for operators to deploy broadband in If only complacency built networks, we would have the blocks of flats and will legislate to mandate gigabit fastest broadband in the world, but it does not, and connectivity in new builds, while providing £5 billion of neither does it keep our network secure. In June, the funding to support the roll-out in hard-to-reach areas. National Cyber Security Centre said that we had to act Robert Courts: I was delighted when this one nation to mitigate the risk of high-risk vendors such as Huawei Government announced a £5 billion package to roll out in our 5G and full-fibre networks. Since then, we have broadband to the hardest-to-reach areas, but can the had more disturbing reports from our Five Eyes allies Minister tell us when we will see that money being put Canada and the US, while former Cabinet Ministers fall into action, so that places such as west Oxfordshire can over themselves to criticise the Government, but we benefit? have had no legislation and not even a plan for legislation. Where is the plan to keep our networks safe? Matt Warman: As my hon. Friend knows, through our rural gigabit connectivity programme we are already Matt Warman: As the hon. Lady knows, the NCSC putting £200 million into some of the hardest-to-reach has published comprehensive guidance, which the networks places, not least in west Oxfordshire. The £5 billion of are paying close attention to. The networks work closely 951 Oral Answers 13 FEBRUARY 2020 Oral Answers 952 with our agencies. We will bring forward legislation on use its powers to make sure gamblers are not taken this as quickly as we can, because national security will advantage of—for instance, through exploitative VIP always be at the top of our priority list. That is why we schemes—and why we have recently banned gambling have taken the decision we have taken. with credit cards and will be reviewing the Gambling Act 2005 to make sure it is fit for the modern age. Alan Brown (Kilmarnock and Loudoun) (SNP): Scotland is approximately two thirds the size of England, but we Andrew Jones: Too many people have had their lives have more challenging topography and islands to serve, turned upside down by gambling addiction, so I commend yet Scotland will get a fifth of England’s Building the Minister for her decision to ban people from gambling Digital UK fund, and for the R100 programme, the UK using credit cards—essentially gambling with money Government are only committing £20 million towards they do not have—but what more will the Government the £600 million programme. Does the Minister agree do to tackle the scourge of problem gambling? We have with the recommendation of the Environment, Food probably all seen constituents in surgeries who have had and Rural Affairs Committee that future allocations to their lives ruined by this terrible problem. Scotland should be based on need, taking into account all those factors? Helen Whately: I thank my hon. Friend for his support for the ban on gambling with credit cards, which was an Matt Warman: As I said a minute ago, I recently had important decision, but our work to tackle problem a productive conversation with my Scottish counterpart gambling continues. The intention of the Gambling Act on how the Scottish and UK Governments can work review is to make sure we have the right legislation to together to get the broadband into Scotland that it so protect people from harm, but in the meantime, for clearly needs. those struggling with problem gambling, the Department of Health and Social Care is opening 14 new specialist Kevin Brennan (Cardiff West) (Lab): It is a nice view NHS clinics, and we are working on a cross-Government from up here, Mr Speaker. addiction strategy, which will include gambling. The Minister’s Duracell Bunny-like enthusiasm is all very well, and I hope it stands him in good stead during Carolyn Harris (Swansea East) (Lab): As chair of the the clear-out today, but it is not enough. Does the all-party group for gambling related harm, I am delighted Government’s ambition not fall pathetically short of that the Government have adopted so many of our what is really required? recommendations over the last 18 months. Our latest one is that we would very much like to see no gambling Matt Warman: The £5 billion will go an awfully long advertising in sports activities. Will the Minister agree way and build on the huge progress being made already, that this is a way forward? but the hon. Gentleman is right: this is not simply about money. That is why we are making legislative changes as Helen Whately: I know the hon. Lady is a determined well. The Prime Minister has been very clear on his campaigner on this issue. I am also well aware of ambition. The recent roundtable at No. 10 with all the concerns about gambling in sports. I have spoken about broadband providers shows that this is far more than this with the Sports Minister, who is here beside me. words; it is a real commitment in legislative and financial There are already controls on advertising in sport—the terms, and it will get Britain the broadband it deserves. whistle-to-whistle ban is a step forward—and as I said, the Gambling Act review is coming up. We are working Jeff Smith (Manchester, Withington) (Lab): The Prime on the scope of that at the moment.