Oral QuestionDepartment for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

“What steps her Department is taking to expand broadband coverage to rural areas.”

Tabled: 13 October 2022Answered: 20 October 2022

Asked by

Helen Whately

Conservative — Faversham and Mid Kent

Answering Minister

the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Answer from Hansard

The Minister for International Development (Kirsty McNeill)

As the hon. Member will appreciate, every time we enter into one of these negotiations across the whole of Government, our objective is to uphold the integrity and impact of our migration policies. The FCDO has responsibility for ensuring that our policy position is communicated forcefully bilaterally, and we will continue to do that. I have been in dialogue with the Eritrean ambassador to convey exactly the seriousness with which the Home Secretary, the Foreign Secretary and the wider British Government take this matter. There will be no resiling from the forcefulness with which we promote our policy that Eritrean returns are central to this Government, and we will pursue that until they are secured.