Welsh Conservative Leader slams ‘government inertia’ for poor broadband coverage in Wales
The Leader of the Welsh Conservatives has blamed Wales’ poor broadband coverage on Welsh Government ‘bureaucratic inertia’.
Speaking following First Minister’s questions, Paul Davies also stated that the delayed rollout of Superfast Cymru was another example of the Government’s ‘incompetent’ approach to public procurement.
In its 2011 manifesto, the Welsh Labour Party committed to ensuring that all residential premises and businesses in Wales would have access to Next Generation Broadband by 2015, and that 50 per cent of properties or more would have access to 100Mbps.
However, two thirds of NFU Members asked in Wales said they were not able to access sufficient broadband speeds.
During his contribution in the Chamber, the Leader of the Opposition also quoted the story of a young girl in Conwy who has to drive a mile to find a signal to download schoolwork.
Speaking outside the chamber, Mr Davies said:
“Not only is this another broken manifesto pledge, it’s a broken manifesto pledge that is underpinned by £80 million of public money.
“It’s unacceptable that Welsh communities are much more isolated and disadvantaged in comparison to other parts of the UK.
“Members from all sides of the Chamber will be able to give you examples of communities that are struggling with a substandard broadband service, and it’s a direct result of Government inertia in Wales.
“Those that are living without a decent broadband service deserve a far better response from the Welsh Government, and that response needs to provide an actual resolution to bring Wales into the 21st Century”.
