§ Mr. Ian BruceTo ask the President of the Board of Trade what estimate he has made of the speed at which cable television will be introduced to Northern Ireland; if telephone services will be available via this cable network; and what assessment he has made of the effect on householders and businesses. [21433]
§ Mr. Ian TaylorCable Tel Northern Ireland Ltd., which was awarded the franchise for the whole of Northern Ireland in May 1995, has committed to offer service to at least 428,000 homes in the province by the end of 2003. The company is expected to build past some 60 per cent. of homes in the franchise by the end of 1999. I am pleased to confirm that telephone services will be available via this cable network, which means that domestic and commercial customers alike will be able to benefit from the choice and competitive prices which are already available to more than 6 million homes in mainland Britain where cable networks pass.