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Showing 60 of 2,095,827 contributions. Latest 30 days: 3,357. Coverage: 12 May 1999 — 10 Jun 2026.
Paul Wheelhouse SNP Committee
17 Mar 2021
Digital Connectivity
I will do my best to keep this brief. The Telecommunications Infrastructure (Leasehold Property) Act 2021 received royal assent on 15 March—just this week. It seeks to address a long-standing issue around deployment to multi-dwelling units or blocks of flats. At present, the o...
Paul Wheelhouse SNP Committee
17 Mar 2021
Digital Connectivity
That is something that we have raised, and it is a good point to discuss. We are fully aware that there will be changes to the UK-level voucher scheme at the end of the month. That was always programmed to be the case, as far as I am aware; it is not something that has been do...
Paul Wheelhouse SNP Committee
17 Mar 2021
Digital Connectivity
We are acutely aware of the commitment that we gave, which was to provide superfast services for all premises in Scotland by the end of 2021. We are doing everything that we can, and I understand people’s frustration. I will not repeat what I said about the background to how ...
Paul Wheelhouse SNP Committee
17 Mar 2021
Digital Connectivity
It is additional to the £21 million that is already being invested in R100, which, in effect, is money that was left over from DSSB and that we have used in R100, with the UK Government’s consent. In its joint press release with us, the UK Government indicated that its invest...
Paul Wheelhouse SNP Committee
17 Mar 2021
Digital Connectivity
I certainly take the latter approach, given Scotland’s share of the UK’s landmass and given that we are a more sparsely populated country than the UK. It is not just the Scottish Government that says that; at Westminster, the Scottish Affairs Committee and, I believe, the Envi...
Paul Wheelhouse SNP Committee
17 Mar 2021
Digital Connectivity
You are correct. When the Prime Minister came to office, as part of his programme—his first pitch, if you like—he announced a commitment of £5 billion to deliver gigabit services across the UK by 2026. That has since been scaled back to £1.2 billion by 2025, and a commitment t...
Paul Wheelhouse SNP Committee
17 Mar 2021
Digital Connectivity
Do you mean for the gigabit programme, Mr Lyle?
Paul Wheelhouse SNP Committee
17 Mar 2021
Digital Connectivity
I am sure that the officials will have heard that loud and clear.
Paul Wheelhouse SNP Committee
17 Mar 2021
Digital Connectivity
I will give you some information, but it might not be exactly what you are asking for. In the programme for government, we announced the £4 million for the Scotland 5G Centre to deliver a network of 5G innovation hubs through what is called the S5G connect programme. That will...
Paul Wheelhouse SNP Committee
17 Mar 2021
Digital Connectivity
You will see in the budget data that the vast majority of the £98.2 million that is set out in the 2021-22 budget for digital connectivity will be spent on R100 itself. However, the budget also includes provision for the roll-out of the Scottish 4G infill programme, which is a...
Paul Wheelhouse SNP Committee
17 Mar 2021
Digital Connectivity
Yes. My understanding is that we are going to see that programme broadly stick to time. I will just give you some figures that might give a bit of context. We believe that it can be considered to be a huge success, but the committee might take a different view. Projects to ext...
Paul Wheelhouse SNP Committee
17 Mar 2021
Digital Connectivity
It is hugely important, and I am glad to hear that Mr MacDonald is a beneficiary of the gainshare system; it has been a real success of the outgoing DSSB programme that it has recycled money back into extending coverage. As we said earlier, unfortunately, the Scottish Governme...
Paul Wheelhouse SNP Committee
17 Mar 2021
Digital Connectivity
If anyone from those communities is watching this session, the first thing that I want to say is that we genuinely acknowledge how frustrating the situation is. Emma Harper has hit the nail on the head; especially in the context of Covid, we are acutely aware of how important ...
Paul Wheelhouse SNP Committee
17 Mar 2021
Digital Connectivity
Of course—we can provide more detail on that. Just 1.3 per cent of the vouchers that have been used to date have been for satellite. Satellite has improved dramatically over previous generations of the technology, and people can now get consistently good upload and download sp...
Paul Wheelhouse SNP Committee
17 Mar 2021
Digital Connectivity
For the record, I certainly agree with Mr Finnie’s assessment of the situation. However, I am delighted to be here to help by answering the committee’s questions. I hope that my figures are bang up to date. To date, there have been 100 applications for interim vouchers from t...
Paul Wheelhouse SNP Committee
17 Mar 2021
Digital Connectivity
That is a good question, and I think that, in fairness, a lot will depend on the UK-wide policy framework and the actions of the regulator. At the moment, BT is voluntarily offering to replace copper wiring—and aluminium wiring, which still exists in some localities and is e...
Paul Wheelhouse SNP Committee
17 Mar 2021
Digital Connectivity
Apologies—I did not mean to speak over you, Mr Chapman. On the main vouchers, in the central area, 74 have been requested, eight have been issued and six have been completed. In the north, 109 have been requested, 129 have been issued—that is confusing; I am not sure why a hi...
Paul Wheelhouse SNP Committee
17 Mar 2021
Digital Connectivity
—or do you want to know about the technology?
Paul Wheelhouse SNP Committee
17 Mar 2021
Digital Connectivity
I think that I can; I am just checking—yes, I can. I will read from the table before me, and I hope that it all tallies up. First, can I check what information you want? Do you want to know how many vouchers have been requested, issued and completed in each of the areas—
Paul Wheelhouse SNP Committee
17 Mar 2021
Digital Connectivity
The situation changes daily, but I can share the figures that I have in front of me. After the first six months of the Scottish broadband voucher scheme, we have a pipeline of 807 vouchers, with 183 installed. That compares with the 394 that were installed in Scotland in the f...
Paul Wheelhouse SNP Committee
17 Mar 2021
Digital Connectivity
I recognise that, Mr Chapman. We are keen to give them information as soon as we can. In the south and central areas, we have been able to provide the unique property reference data so that each premises that is covered by R100 in the intervention area has a unique number. Unl...
Paul Wheelhouse SNP Committee
17 Mar 2021
Digital Connectivity
I will touch on the point that Mr Chapman made about the north lot and on what happened with regard to the likes of Finderne. I met the representative of Finderne community council to discuss that yesterday, along with Richard Lochhead MSP as the local member. We did not want...
Paul Wheelhouse SNP Committee
17 Mar 2021
Digital Connectivity
I have not considered that issue, although I understand the point that you are making. I am happy to ask colleagues whether they have done any work on that. Obviously, we have prioritised full fibre, because that is the gold standard of service, but I recognise the value of fi...
Paul Wheelhouse SNP Committee
17 Mar 2021
Digital Connectivity
Yes—2026 is the final date for completion of build and sign-off of the programme. The work might continue into 2026 for some premises, based on that assumption, but we are trying to accelerate that. We are also trying to attract some money in from UK ministers—on a similar bas...
Paul Wheelhouse SNP Committee
17 Mar 2021
Digital Connectivity
Yes. That is certainly what we assumed at the time when the contract was awarded to BT. As I said, BT is trying to accelerate that, but there is a safety-first approach to the timescales. As with the other contracts, we are dealing with the tail end of delivery by that date, s...
Paul Wheelhouse SNP Committee
17 Mar 2021
Digital Connectivity
I will try to answer that as best I can. Following the north lot contract signature on 11 December, a state aid public consultation was published to reconfirm which premises remained eligible for public investment via the R100 contracts. That took into account any changes in t...
Paul Wheelhouse SNP Committee
17 Mar 2021
Digital Connectivity
At the contract signature stage, BT indicated that the build in the north lot would be completed in 2026. We have committed to providing Openreach with the finalised speed and coverage template, which is commonly known as the SCT, no later than 31 March this year, which will a...
Paul Wheelhouse SNP Committee
17 Mar 2021
Digital Connectivity
That is my interpretation. Thank you for raising that point. I am not making a direct criticism of current ministers—they have inherited a situation from their predecessors—but there has been historical underinvestment in Scotland’s telecommunications by UK Governments of diff...
Paul Wheelhouse SNP Committee
17 Mar 2021
Digital Connectivity
All legislation relating to telecommunications and its regulation is the responsibility of UK ministers. We have used economic development powers to intervene and try to find a solution for what we regard as market failure. However, under the Scotland Act 1998, all telecommuni...
Paul Wheelhouse SNP Committee
17 Mar 2021
Digital Connectivity
My apologies for not addressing that point, Mr Smyth. You did raise that, but I missed it in my response. We are aware of the need to do that. I should point out that a number of suppliers—Openreach and Virgin are two of them, but there are others—already offer that for any n...
Paul Wheelhouse SNP Committee
17 Mar 2021
Digital Connectivity
Indeed, Mr Smyth. You raise an important point on electronic communications codes, which we are aware of and which is relevant here in relation to the positioning of overhead infrastructure in private gardens. You are quite right that the number of those masts is much higher i...
Paul Wheelhouse SNP Committee
17 Mar 2021
Digital Connectivity
BT is making substantial early progress across the central and south areas. The committee is aware that delivery of those contracts is a massive civil engineering project, and extensive survey and design work goes ahead before any building work is done. A total of 262 premises...
Paul Wheelhouse SNP Committee
17 Mar 2021
Digital Connectivity
It is helpful to put this on the record. I can confirm that the R100 central lot contract will connect 32,216 premises to superfast broadband, with 95.6 per cent of that contract build being full fibre to the premises. The member is correct in saying that 79 per cent was the f...
The Minister for Energy, Connectivity and the Islands (Paul Wheelhouse) SNP Committee
17 Mar 2021
Digital Connectivity
Thank you, convener, and good morning to committee colleagues. As our Covid-19 vaccination programme provides some long-awaited light at the end of the tunnel, so the Scottish Government’s plans for economic recovery are brought into ever-sharper focus. I recognise that, as w...
Paul Wheelhouse SNP Chamber
11 Mar 2021
Portfolio Question Time · Broadband Roll-out (Dumfries and Galloway)
Liam McArthur raises a fair question. The commercial decision is for BT in fulfilling the contract, but if Mr McArthur wishes to provide details of any particular companies that are actively seeking to participate in the R100 programme—I know that he has made representations b...
Paul Wheelhouse SNP Chamber
11 Mar 2021
Portfolio Question Time · Broadband Roll-out (Dumfries and Galloway)
Colin Smyth raises an important point. It is true that the full-fibre needs of new developments must also be addressed. I know that BT provides a package for any development of more than 20 properties—it is largely free full fibre, because of the scale of the development. I kn...
Paul Wheelhouse SNP Chamber
11 Mar 2021
Portfolio Question Time · Broadband Roll-out (Dumfries and Galloway)
Joan McAlpine is correct: mobile connectivity is reserved, as is broadband. However, we intervene through our own measures to address market failure. She will be aware that the Scottish 4G infill programme has been important for us. The first mast that we delivered was at New ...
The Minister for Energy, Connectivity and the Islands (Paul Wheelhouse) SNP Chamber
11 Mar 2021
Portfolio Question Time · Broadband Roll-out (Dumfries and Galloway)
Thinkbroadband reports that superfast coverage in Dumfries and Galloway stands at 87 per cent, up from 17 per cent in January 2014. Dumfries and Galloway has 8,300 properties in scope for the R100 south lot contract, which delivered its first live connections in Biggar in Lan...
The Minister for Energy, Connectivity and the Islands (Paul Wheelhouse) SNP Chamber
10 Mar 2021
Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Bill: Stage 3
On a point of order, Presiding Officer. Unfortunately, my page did not reload and I was unable to vote, but I would have voted no.
Paul Wheelhouse SNP Committee
03 Mar 2021
Construction and Procurement of Ferry Vessels
We are certainly looking at how we can address the needs of the northern isles. We are looking at expanding the VRDP—as a separate document—to look specifically at the needs of the northern isles. I mentioned in response to Mr Halcro Johnston that we are already looking at the...
Paul Wheelhouse SNP Committee
03 Mar 2021
Construction and Procurement of Ferry Vessels
The £580 million is purely an allocation as part of the infrastructure investment plan for the next five years. The ICP might have a longer timescale, in that it looks beyond any messages or indication of direction of travel—no pun intended—beyond that period with regard to th...
Paul Wheelhouse SNP Committee
03 Mar 2021
Construction and Procurement of Ferry Vessels
Sure. For those who are following the session and are not familiar with the subject, the ICP will replace the current ferries plan by the end of 2022. It will be developed within the policy context that is provided by the on-going national transport strategy and the national i...
Paul Wheelhouse SNP Committee
03 Mar 2021
Construction and Procurement of Ferry Vessels
We continue to have discussions with Orkney Islands Council and Shetland Islands Council, and—I should mention this for completeness—with Highland Council and Argyll and Bute Council, although their needs are not of the same magnitude as Orkney Islands Council’s. It would be f...
Paul Wheelhouse SNP Committee
03 Mar 2021
Construction and Procurement of Ferry Vessels
I have touched on the second point already, so I will try to focus on the aspects of your question that I have not covered. When it comes to the duration of future CHFS and northern isles ferry service contracts, I recognise the point that Mr Halcro Johnston makes—obviously, t...
Paul Wheelhouse SNP Committee
03 Mar 2021
Construction and Procurement of Ferry Vessels
We can certainly come back to you with more detail on that in due course. The freighters that you referenced are in scope for allocation of the £580 million that we have announced in the infrastructure investment plan. Within that total, between the 2021-22 and the 2025-26 fin...
Paul Wheelhouse SNP Committee
03 Mar 2021
Construction and Procurement of Ferry Vessels
Again, that is a fair question. The approach we are going to take involves the issue forming a key part of the VRDP. We are considering the lowest-emission design and fuel types available. We believe that some significant savings can be achieved through modern hull designs. We...
Paul Wheelhouse SNP Committee
03 Mar 2021
Construction and Procurement of Ferry Vessels
You raise an important point. We certainly took on board completely the recommendation in the report for the need to improve our engagement strategy with the customers of the ferry networks. We have been in the process of developing a revised communication and stakeholder stra...
Paul Wheelhouse SNP Committee
03 Mar 2021
Construction and Procurement of Ferry Vessels
I take exception to that remark. You are conflating two issues here. One issue is the Covid impact on the Ferguson Marine (Port Glasgow) Ltd, which we are the owners of and which we are supporting to come through the pandemic, as other businesses are having to do. That is a se...
Paul Wheelhouse SNP Committee
03 Mar 2021
Construction and Procurement of Ferry Vessels
I have to take a position where I disagree with your analysis. I understand the £45 million that you are referring to in terms of financial support provided to the previous operators of the yard to give them the working capital and also to allow them to diversify the business....
Paul Wheelhouse SNP Committee
03 Mar 2021
Construction and Procurement of Ferry Vessels
First, I will correct the figures that you have outlined. The cost to CMAL for the vessels remains the original project cost of £97 million. As I have just said, the additional costs of £110 million to £114 million were provided to Ferguson Marine (Port Glasgow) Ltd from Scott...
Paul Wheelhouse SNP Committee
03 Mar 2021
Construction and Procurement of Ferry Vessels
We can get the figure for that. I do not have that in front of me. If you will not allow me to go to Mr Wilcock to get that figure, I will get that to you after the meeting.
Paul Wheelhouse SNP Committee
03 Mar 2021
Construction and Procurement of Ferry Vessels
My answer is that I do not have that figure to hand. We are working on the basis that the additional costs over and above the cost to CMAL will be £110 million to £114 million, including the contingencies that Mr Hair has just discussed with other members. My understanding is ...
Paul Wheelhouse SNP Committee
03 Mar 2021
Construction and Procurement of Ferry Vessels
I do not have that figure to hand, convener. Perhaps it might be best to direct that to Mr Hair.
Paul Wheelhouse SNP Committee
03 Mar 2021
Construction and Procurement of Ferry Vessels
We are trying our best to get information to you. That is why we have brought Mr Hair with us today to give you an update. I know that that is what everyone is trying to achieve in terms of timing. The committee session was too early to be able to provide that information, but...
Paul Wheelhouse SNP Committee
03 Mar 2021
Construction and Procurement of Ferry Vessels
I recognise that this is a long-standing issue for you and that you are passionate about supporting the supply chain. Following the transition period, we are currently working to understand the various impacts of the new subsidy control rules, as they are known, which were int...
Paul Wheelhouse SNP Committee
03 Mar 2021
Construction and Procurement of Ferry Vessels
Apologies.
Paul Wheelhouse SNP Committee
03 Mar 2021
Construction and Procurement of Ferry Vessels
From my point of view, that has not been a motivation in any way for CMAL or Transport Scotland. Smaller vessels take less time to build and procure. There are potentially early wins through which we can get improvements to address things like fuel efficiency. We are looking ...
Paul Wheelhouse SNP Committee
03 Mar 2021
Construction and Procurement of Ferry Vessels
Again, that is a fair question, which I inadvertently started to address earlier in response to a different question. The small vessel replacement programme was referenced back in 2018 in the current ferries plan, when we set out an indicative vessel replacement programme, whi...
Paul Wheelhouse SNP Committee
03 Mar 2021
Construction and Procurement of Ferry Vessels
I can certainly understand where Mr Smyth is coming from. I appreciate that the Government has to contract with external advisers. The report produced for ministers will be genuinely independent. Ministers obviously cannot predetermine the outcome of the review or, in advance ...
Paul Wheelhouse SNP Committee
03 Mar 2021
Construction and Procurement of Ferry Vessels
I understand why you are asking that question. Rather than respond in a direct way, I do not want to prejudice anything that the consultants will look at. They have the initial meeting coming up with this week with Transport Scotland to set the ball rolling. They may well come...
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Committee

Rural Economy and Connectivity Committee 17 March 2021

17 Mar 2021 · S5 · Rural Economy and Connectivity Committee
Item of business
Digital Connectivity
Wheelhouse, Paul SNP South Scotland Watch on SPTV
I will do my best to keep this brief. The Telecommunications Infrastructure (Leasehold Property) Act 2021 received royal assent on 15 March—just this week. It seeks to address a long-standing issue around deployment to multi-dwelling units or blocks of flats. At present, the operators require the agreement of all landlords within a block to deploy infrastructure, and stakeholders have told us that in some cases landlords do not reply to requests to negotiate a wayleave agreement. Some may be more organised than others and some may choose not to reply. We welcome the legislation, which will allow operators to apply to the sheriff court and have a time-limited agreement imposed where landlords do not respond to repeated—I stress that word—requests to negotiate an access agreement. We believe that that will have a positive impact on the roll-out of broadband infrastructure to multi-dwelling units or blocks of flats and we hope that it will reduce the legal costs to operators and the delays caused by unresponsive landlords. Given the committee’s strong sentiment that during Covid we have learnt that connectivity is really important for people—if it was already important for them, it is doubly important now—we think that that is a helpful step towards ensuring that people get access to digital infrastructure more quickly than they otherwise would.

In the same item of business

The Convener Con
Item 2 is an evidence session on digital connectivity. I welcome Paul Wheelhouse, the Minister for Energy, Connectivity and the Islands, and Clive Downing, t...
The Minister for Energy, Connectivity and the Islands (Paul Wheelhouse) SNP
Thank you, convener, and good morning to committee colleagues. As our Covid-19 vaccination programme provides some long-awaited light at the end of the tunn...
Colin Smyth (South Scotland) (Lab) Lab
My questions are about the central and south lots of the R100 programme. Can you confirm that the central lot procurement will connect 32,000 premises, with ...
Paul Wheelhouse SNP
It is helpful to put this on the record. I can confirm that the R100 central lot contract will connect 32,216 premises to superfast broadband, with 95.6 per ...
Colin Smyth Lab
We appreciate that update on the numbers. You said that progress is being made on the ground in the central and south lots. Will you expand on that and expla...
Paul Wheelhouse SNP
BT is making substantial early progress across the central and south areas. The committee is aware that delivery of those contracts is a massive civil engine...
Colin Smyth Lab
That is helpful, minister. Thank you. Your update suggested that the R100 programme will now connect around 50,000 properties in the central and south Scotla...
Paul Wheelhouse SNP
Indeed, Mr Smyth. You raise an important point on electronic communications codes, which we are aware of and which is relevant here in relation to the positi...
Colin Smyth Lab
You have rightly highlighted where powers might lie elsewhere, but powers over planning lie very much with the Scottish Government, which currently has the p...
Paul Wheelhouse SNP
My apologies for not addressing that point, Mr Smyth. You did raise that, but I missed it in my response. We are aware of the need to do that. I should poin...
Robbie McGhee (Scottish Government)
I confirm that that is very much a live issue. We know that there is legislative activity at the UK level. We have always tried to match or go further than o...
Richard Lyle (Uddingston and Bellshill) (SNP) SNP
My questions follow on from Colin Smyth’s questions. We need to clear this up. Broadband is not a devolved matter; it is wholly the responsibility of the UK ...
Paul Wheelhouse SNP
All legislation relating to telecommunications and its regulation is the responsibility of UK ministers. We have used economic development powers to interven...
Richard Lyle SNP
Because of the UK Government’s failure to improve broadband throughout Scotland, the Scottish Government has taken the matter on board. Am I correct in sayin...
Paul Wheelhouse SNP
That is my interpretation. Thank you for raising that point. I am not making a direct criticism of current ministers—they have inherited a situation from the...
Richard Lyle SNP
There is a mix. Thank you for clearing that up. Although, as you said, broadband is not devolved, BT has been issued with an updated intervention area in th...
Paul Wheelhouse SNP
At the contract signature stage, BT indicated that the build in the north lot would be completed in 2026. We have committed to providing Openreach with the f...
Richard Lyle SNP
What was the outcome of the R100 state aid public consultation that closed in January? When will the final intervention area maps be published?
Paul Wheelhouse SNP
I will try to answer that as best I can. Following the north lot contract signature on 11 December, a state aid public consultation was published to reconfir...
The Convener Con
I get the impression that lot 1 of R100 will be complete by 2026. Is that what you have just said?
Paul Wheelhouse SNP
Yes. That is certainly what we assumed at the time when the contract was awarded to BT. As I said, BT is trying to accelerate that, but there is a safety-fir...
The Convener Con
That will be bitterly disappointing for people in the Highlands, who were expecting it in 2021—indeed, they were promised it in 2021 by your predecessor. Can...
Paul Wheelhouse SNP
Yes—2026 is the final date for completion of build and sign-off of the programme. The work might continue into 2026 for some premises, based on that assumpti...
The Convener Con
I know that many people will be disappointed. I want to pick up on the point that you made about rates relief for fibre cabinets. I believe that you said th...
Paul Wheelhouse SNP
I have not considered that issue, although I understand the point that you are making. I am happy to ask colleagues whether they have done any work on that. ...
Robbie McGhee
To clarify, the rates relief does not just apply to fibre cabinets; it applies to fibre generally, so that is lit fibre and dark fibre across the country. By...
The Convener Con
I have written to the Government about the issue because, if someone gets to a certain level of income with line-of-sight equipment, it will attract business...
Peter Chapman (North East Scotland) (Con) Con
My questions are on the Scottish broadband voucher scheme, which, as you readily admit, much of the north area will have to rely on in the medium term. Ev...
Paul Wheelhouse SNP
I will touch on the point that Mr Chapman made about the north lot and on what happened with regard to the likes of Finderne. I met the representative of Fin...
Peter Chapman Con
We have focused on one village in Moray, but I assume that many communities across the north are in a similar position and are facing a heap of uncertainty a...