Written questions by Chadwick.

Innovation and Technology, how much and what proportion of funding allocated to AI and semiconductor growth zones will be spent in Wales; and over what timeframe.

The AI Growth Zones programme aims to attract billions of pounds in private investment into AI data centres and drive economic growth through job creation. The programme will create opportunities for skills development and apprenticeships, forge research and development partnerships with local universities, and enable British businesses to participate in major AI projects.We have announced four AI Growth Zones, two of which are Welsh sites, with one in Anglesey and another in South Wales. These sites will benefit from major private investment, including Vanguard's planned £10 billion investment in the South Wales AI Growth Zone. In addition to this private capital, we are providing £5 million for each AI Growth Zone through UK Research & Innovation (UKRI) to support skills development and AI adoption, ensuring that local communities benefit directly from the programme. This funding will be available from April 2026 for all AI Growth Zones.

Innovation and Technology, whether Ofcom still plans to consult on PIA pricing reform.

As the independent regulator for telecommunications, Ofcom is responsible for making regulatory decisions in the fixed telecoms sector, including on the Physical Infrastructure Access (PIA) product.Ofcom is finalising its Telecoms Access Review that will set PIA rental charges from 1 April 2026. It is for them to decide whether they need to consult further following their March 2025 consultation on their proposed TAR decisions.

Innovation and Technology, whether his Department is still considering reforms to PIA.

As the independent regulator for telecommunications, Ofcom is responsible for making regulatory decisions in the fixed telecoms sector, including on the Physical Infrastructure Access (PIA) product.In July, we published our draft Statement of Strategic Priorities for telecommunications, the management of radio spectrum, and postal services that sets out the Government’s view on infrastructure sharing in the fixed telecoms sector, including asking Ofcom to demonstrate greater transparency in how they calculate and set PIA prices.My officials regularly engage with Ofcom to ensure we have the right regulatory environment in place to promote competition and investment in fibre roll-out across the UK, including in rural areas.

Innovation and Technology, if she will take steps to ensure that rural communities are not disadvantaged by the PIA pricing model moving forward.

As the independent regulator for telecommunications, Ofcom is responsible for making regulatory decisions in the fixed telecoms sector, including on the Physical Infrastructure Access (PIA) product.In July, we published our draft Statement of Strategic Priorities for telecommunications, the management of radio spectrum, and postal services that sets out the Government’s view on infrastructure sharing in the fixed telecoms sector, including asking Ofcom to demonstrate greater transparency in how they calculate and set PIA prices.My officials regularly engage with Ofcom to ensure we have the right regulatory environment in place to promote competition and investment in fibre roll-out across the UK, including in rural areas.

Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that Ofcom’s regulatory framework for Passive Infrastructure Access promotes fair competition between Openreach and alternative network providers in rural areas.

As the independent regulator for telecommunications, Ofcom is responsible for making regulatory decisions in the fixed telecoms sector, including on the Physical Infrastructure Access (PIA) product. The Department regularly engages with Ofcom and industry stakeholders on these and related issues.We provide steers to Ofcom through our Statement of Strategic Priorities (SSP) for telecommunications, the management of radio spectrum, and postal services. Ofcom must have regard to this when making regulatory decisions, including in the context of the Telecoms Access Review.In July, we published a consultation on a draft updated SSP that sets out the Government’s view on infrastructure sharing and the key role of competition to promote investment and the fibre roll-out. We are currently reviewing responses to the consultation and will publish our response in due course.

Innovation and Technology, what assessment her Department made of the potential impact of changes to the Passive Infrastructure Access pricing on the (a) efficiency and (b) reach of public investment under Project Gigabit.

As the independent regulator for telecommunications, Ofcom is responsible for making regulatory decisions in the fixed telecoms sector, including on the Physical Infrastructure Access (PIA) product.For this reason, while we are engaging with Ofcom on this issue, the Department has not made any formal assessment of the impact of the current PIA pricing structure on the economic viability of rural operators. We have also not made any formal assessment of the merits of a distinct rural pricing model for the PIA product nor have made any assessment of changes to PIA pricing on Project Gigabit.

Innovation and Technology, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of current Ofcom Passive Infrastructure Access pricing on the economic viability of rural broadband deployment by alternative network providers.

As the independent regulator for telecommunications, Ofcom is responsible for making regulatory decisions in the fixed telecoms sector, including on the Physical Infrastructure Access (PIA) product.For this reason, while we are engaging with Ofcom on this issue, the Department has not made any formal assessment of the impact of the current PIA pricing structure on the economic viability of rural operators. We have also not made any formal assessment of the merits of a distinct rural pricing model for the PIA product nor have made any assessment of changes to PIA pricing on Project Gigabit.

Innovation and Technology, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a rural Passive Infrastructure Access pricing model aligned with Ofcom’s existing per-customer wholesale pricing framework for national internet service providers.

As the independent regulator for telecommunications, Ofcom is responsible for making regulatory decisions in the fixed telecoms sector, including on the Physical Infrastructure Access (PIA) product.For this reason, while we are engaging with Ofcom on this issue, the Department has not made any formal assessment of the impact of the current PIA pricing structure on the economic viability of rural operators. We have also not made any formal assessment of the merits of a distinct rural pricing model for the PIA product nor have made any assessment of changes to PIA pricing on Project Gigabit.

Innovation and Technology, whether he plans to make representations to Ofcom during the Telecoms Access Review to ensure that PIA pricing supports the roll-out of full-fibre broadband in rural areas.

As the independent regulator for telecommunications, Ofcom is responsible for making regulatory decisions in the fixed telecoms sector, including on the Physical Infrastructure Access (PIA) product. The Department regularly engages with Ofcom and industry stakeholders on these and related issues.We provide steers to Ofcom through our Statement of Strategic Priorities (SSP) for telecommunications, the management of radio spectrum, and postal services. Ofcom must have regard to this when making regulatory decisions, including in the context of the Telecoms Access Review.In July, we published a consultation on a draft updated SSP that sets out the Government’s view on infrastructure sharing and the key role of competition to promote investment and the fibre roll-out. We are currently reviewing responses to the consultation and will publish our response in due course.

Innovation and Technology, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the French model for broadband infrastructure pricing.

The Department has not made any assessment of the effectiveness of the French model for broadband infrastructure pricing.As the independent regulator for telecommunications, Ofcom is responsible for making regulatory decisions in the fixed telecoms sector, including on the Physical Infrastructure Access (PIA) product. We expect the regulator to assess other countries’ regulatory regime as necessary to inform its thinking.

Innovation and Technology, whether her Department has held discussions with (a) Ofcom and (b) industry stakeholders on the potential impact of current Passive Infrastructure Access charges on investor confidence in rural broadband networks.

As the independent regulator for telecommunications, Ofcom is responsible for making regulatory decisions in the fixed telecoms sector, including on the Physical Infrastructure Access (PIA) product. The Department regularly engages with Ofcom and industry stakeholders on these and related issues.We provide steers to Ofcom through our Statement of Strategic Priorities (SSP) for telecommunications, the management of radio spectrum, and postal services. Ofcom must have regard to this when making regulatory decisions, including in the context of the Telecoms Access Review.In July, we published a consultation on a draft updated SSP that sets out the Government’s view on infrastructure sharing and the key role of competition to promote investment and the fibre roll-out. We are currently reviewing responses to the consultation and will publish our response in due course.

Innovation and Technology, what assessment he has made of the fees charged for (a) lowering, (b) relocating and (c) diverting the network by Openreach.

As the independent regulator for communications services, Ofcom regulates Openreach’s charges to ensure fair competition, so the government has not made any such specific assessment.

Innovation and Technology, what steps he is taking to ensure that the proportion of research and development funding spent by the UK Government in Wales aligns with the population share of Wales in the United Kingdom.

This government is committed to supporting R&D excellence wherever it is found. UKRI has a specific objective to develop world-class places by supporting outstanding institutions, infrastructures, sectors and clusters across the UK. In 2023-24, UKRI invested £168 million in Wales, supporting activity from the Compound Semiconductor Applications Catapult in Newport, to the Agri-tech and Food Technology Launchpad in Mid and North Wales, to the Media Cymru project in Cardiff Capital Region. Looking ahead, we are working closely with the Welsh Government to earmark at least £30 million for region in Wales from the new Local Innovation Partnerships Fund.

Innovation and Technology, what steps he is taking with the Welsh Government to ensure full gigabit coverage by 2030 in Brecon, Radnor and Cwm-Tawe constituency.

The Government has recently reconfirmed its commitment to achieving nationwide gigabit coverage and now expects 99% of premises to have access to a gigabit-capable connection by 2032.As part of Project Gigabit, Openreach is already delivering a contract across North West, Mid and South East Wales to bring gigabit-capable broadband to homes and businesses that would otherwise miss out. This contract currently includes approximately 3,500 premises in the Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe constituency.Building Digital UK (BDUK) will continue to work closely with the Welsh Government to improve broadband connectivity across Wales as we refresh our delivery plans for the remaining premises in the UK.

Innovation and Technology, how much and what proportion of (a) Project Gigabit funding has been (i) spent on and (ii) allocated for and (b) additional funding announced in the press notice entitled Hundreds of thousands of Brits in rural villages and towns to benefit from UK government broadband boost, published on 7 January 2025, has been allocated for projects in Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe constituency.

Project Gigabit funding is not allocated at a constituency or regional level. Instead, it is targeted at premises across the UK that need it most, specifically those outside of suppliers' commercial plans.The latest Project Gigabit contracts announced on 7 January 2025 do not cover Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe as eligible premises in the constituency have already been included in an earlier Project Gigabit contract with Openreach. This contract is currently expected to deliver gigabit-capable connections to approximately 3,600 premises in the constituency.To date, over £1 million in public subsidy has been spent in the Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe constituency through the Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme and its previous iterations, passing nearly 800 premises with gigabit-capable broadband. This includes top-up funding from Welsh Government. Additionally, almost 6,700 premises across the constituency have received a gigabit-capable connection through the government’s Superfast and GigaHubs programmes. We do not hold constituency-level data of spend for these schemes.

Innovation and Technology, with reference to the Government Digital Service's report entitled Accessibility monitoring of public sector websites and mobile apps from 2022 to 2024, published on 17 December 2024, what steps he is taking to ensure that (a) the digital accessibility of websites is reviewed regularly, (b) websites are checked for accessibility for the visually impaired using a keyboard and (c) automated tools are not singularly used to check digital accessibility.

The Government Digital Service (GDS) monitors the accessibility of public sector websites and mobile applications under The Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018. Between January 2022 and September 2024, GDS monitored 1,203 websites and 21 mobile applications.Accessibility monitoring of public sector websites and mobile applications is ongoing.The monitoring process for each website consists of both automated and manual accessibility checks, including keyboard testing.More information on the monitoring methodology can be found at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/accessibility-monitoring-how-we-test .