§ Mr. ConnartyTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) what assessment she has made of the benefits of access to broadband services for Scotland; and if she will make a statement; [61795]
(2) what targets she has set for the roll out of broadband services across Scotland; and if she will make a statement. [61796]
§ Mrs. LiddellThe Government believe that the roll out and adoption of broadband across the UK can make an important contribution to delivering social and economic benefits. In "UK Online: The Broadband Future", published in February 2001, the Government set a target for the UK to have most extensive and competitive broadband market in the G7 by 2005. The Scottish Executive are taking forward the roll out of broadband in Scotland and have published "Connecting Scotland: Our Broadband Future", which aims to make broadband connections more affordable and available.