Shared Rural Network Greg Smith (Mid Buckinghamshire) (Con) 1.
Whether he is taking steps to accelerate the roll-out of the shared
rural network. (901333) The Minister for Data Protection and
Telecoms (Chris Bryant) The Government and industry are working
together to accelerate the shared rural network and deliver
substantial improvements to outdoor 4G mobile coverage across the
UK. In the past few months, the Government have activated 13
publicly funded masts...Request free
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Shared Rural Network
Greg (Mid Buckinghamshire) (Con)
1. Whether he is taking steps to accelerate the roll-out of the
shared rural network. (901333)
The Minister for Data Protection and Telecoms ()
The Government and industry are working together to accelerate
the shared rural network and deliver substantial improvements to
outdoor 4G mobile coverage across the UK. In the past few months,
the Government have activated 13 publicly funded masts across the
UK, and there are now 27 Government-funded extended area service
mast upgrades delivering 4G.
Greg
In my constituency, only 40, 50 and 60 miles away from this
House, villages such as Cuddington are still complete mobile
notspots. Will the Minister explain how quickly the Government
intend to move on activating the shared rural network, to ensure
no rural community is left without a reliable mobile signal?
I know about Cuddington, because the hon. Gentleman told me about
it yesterday. Cuddington is such a typical English village that
it has featured in “Midsomer Murders”, which is fictional—a bit
like the previous Government's financial affairs. I know we have
said that the desire to please is not part of what Ministers are
meant to do, but I do have a desire to please him and his
constituents. The Government will work as fast as we can with
industry to try to develop 4G in his constituency. I am happy to
arrange for a meeting between him and my officials to ensure he
has street-by-street analysis of how we can do that.
Mr Speaker
I call the shadow Minister.
Dr (Runnymede and Weybridge)
(Con)
We welcome the recent update on the expansion of 4G to rural
areas under the shared rural network project, particularly for
businesses and farmers who are under such pressure at the moment,
with the recent Treasury announcements. Which Secretary of State
should we thank for the planning approval and funding of this
vital infrastructure project?
We support developing all the plans set out under the shared
rural network and Project Gigabit—those plans were regularly
announced by the previous Government, but they never actually put
any money into the budget. There was never a line in a Department
for Science, Innovation and Technology budget that said, “This
money is guaranteed for the future.” We are putting our money
where our mouth is and we are determined to ensure everybody has
proper connectivity. Frankly, that is essential for people's
businesses, whether they are farmers or running any other kind of
business, up and down the land. We will deliver that.
Digital Connectivity: Rural Areas
(Crewe and Nantwich)
(Lab)
2. What steps he is taking to improve digital connectivity in
rural areas. (901334)
The Minister for Data Protection and Telecoms ()
We are improving digital connectivity in rural areas by rolling
out 30 Project Gigabit contracts, filling in gaps that are not
being met commercially, predominantly in rural areas, and
delivering better 4G mobile coverage and eliminating partial
notspots through the shared rural network.
A number of my constituents in the village of Haslington have
been in touch with me about poor mobile signal and digital
connectivity in the village. One constituent was unable to
contact emergency services in the event of a medical emergency.
Does the Minister agree that the lack of progress on connectivity
in our rural areas under 14 years of Conservative Government is
unacceptable? Will he meet me to discuss how we can improve
matters for my constituents?
I am very happy to meet my hon. Friend, not necessarily at the
same time as I am meeting the hon. Member for Mid Buckinghamshire
(Greg ), but Haslington is a bit like
Cuddington: they have exactly the same set of problems. I am sure
many hon. Members from across the House have similar issues in
their constituencies that they have a burning desire to raise
with me. I am happy to make arrangements for hon. Members to meet
officials and go through issues case by case. In relation to the
999 emergency my hon. Friend referred to, I would be grateful if
he could provide me with specific details. All 999 calls from
mobile phones should automatically roam on to another available
network if there is no signal from their own provider, so I want
to get to the bottom of the issue in that case.
(Godalming and Ash) (Con)
Can I add to the Minister's list of beautiful villages to visit
the wonderful villages of Cranleigh, Shamley Green, Peaslake,
Gomshall and Bramley? They are all having big problems with 4G
and 5G mobile phone reception, not least because apps need to be
used to pay for parking there. Can he meet me to discuss what
more can be done to help those beautiful, but also economically
important, places?
I am very happy to meet the right hon. Gentleman as well. I am
not the Pope, but it feels like I will be having a series of
audiences over the next few weeks. The right hon. Gentleman has
villages, I have villages. If only he knew someone who had been
the Chancellor in recent years, who would have been able to
deliver the financial support that we really needed to secure the
investment.
(Bracknell) (Lab)
My constituents in the village of Crowthorne will welcome the
Government's action to tackle this massive issue and support
connectivity for phones and 4G in rural and semi-rural
constituencies. Will the Minister have a meeting with me to
discuss the issues affecting Crowthorne?
I am getting more popular day by day, which is unusual in my
life. I am, of course, very happy to discuss the issues in
Crowthorne.
One thing that really concerns me is that quite often, the
published version of what connectivity is available in
everybody's constituency will say that there is 92%, 93% or 95%
of connectivity from all four operators, but actually, if we
stand there with a mobile phone, there will not be any
connectivity whatsoever. I have written to Ofcom and it has
written back saying, for instance, that in that precise location
the coverage may be above or below the predicted level, leading
some consumers to not get the service they expected. There is a
phrase for that.
Mr Speaker
Save it for another day.
(Eastbourne) (LD)
Organisations such as TechResort in my constituency support
people who are digitally excluded to become digitally included.
The Minister has a long list of meetings to go to, so instead,
can the Secretary of State come along the coast to the sunniest
town in the UK to visit TechResort and hear more about the
funding it needs to power its work?
I am pleased to say that the Secretary of State says he will
indeed visit when he possibly can.
There is a really important point here: poor digital connectivity
excludes so many communities up and down this country. We have no
chance of creating the economic growth that we want in this
country unless we take the whole of the country with us. That is
why it is so disgraceful that we have not had a proper digital
inclusion strategy for 10 years. That is something we will
remedy.
Project Gigabit: Rural Areas
(Broadland and Fakenham)
(Con)
4. What assessment he has made of the potential impact of using
Project Gigabit funding in urban areas on download speeds in
rural areas. (901336)
Project Gigabit has always been designed to deliver
gigabit-capable broadband to premises that will not be met by the
market, regardless of whether they are in urban or rural areas.
Most premises deemed uncommercial by the market are in rural
areas, but consistent evidence suggests that we will also need to
intervene in some urban areas to achieve full national gigabit
coverage. Funding will continue to be provided where it is
needed.
There are 11,500 houses that will be connected to fibre as a
result of the Conservative Project Gigabit policy. There is real
concern that some of those will miss out if money is redirected
from rural to urban communities. After the family farm tax, can
we please give rural communities a break?
The vast majority—more than 90%—of the spending in Project
Gigabit has gone to rural areas because those are the areas most
in need. There is absolutely no change in our policy to that.
However, some urban areas have significant problems as well and
we need to rectify those. The hon. Gentleman points out some of
the issues in his own constituency. I am happy to provide him too
with a meeting, if he wants. I see he has nodded.
Innovation in the Black Country
(Halesowen) (Lab)
5. What steps his Department is taking to help increase levels of
innovation in the Black Country. (901337)
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Science,
Innovation and Technology ()
We want to boost investment in innovation and enable people in
all regions of the UK to benefit from an innovation-led economy.
That is why the spending review supports the UK's research and
development ambition, with total Government investment in R&D
rising to a record £20.4 billion in 2025-26. That allows us to
extend innovation accelerators for another year, which will
continue to bolster the west midlands' high-potential innovation
clusters, fund the Midlands Industrial Ceramics Group through the
Strength in Places fund, and support the region's investment
zone.
Last month, alongside , the Mayor of the West
Midlands, I was lucky enough to join Halesowen college as it
opened its new digital and media campus at Trinity Point. Does
the Minister agree that excellent institutions such as this are
fundamental to supporting innovation across our region, and would
she be so kind as to visit us at some point in the near
future?
I agree with my hon. Friend that educational institutes are
crucial to innovation. Halesowen college is one of five colleges
across the region using the further education and innovation fund
to support innovation and technical excellence within the local
community. Such facilities and expertise will help businesses to
develop a workforce with skills and take advantage of that. I
would be delighted to visit the Trinity Point college if the
opportunity arises.
Mr Speaker
I call the Liberal Democrat spokesperson.
(Harpenden and
Berkhamsted) (LD)
Increasing levels of innovation across the UK are crucial to
unlocking growth and solving some of our biggest problems. That
is why I was worried to read about the Secretary of State saying
that we have to apply “a sense of statecraft” to working with
multinational tech companies. Does the Minister agree that what
we should be doing is working with such companies as companies,
not states, focusing on increasing healthy competition and
supporting innovative UK businesses so that they are not left
with the choice of being bought up or leaving the UK?
As I have said, increasing productivity right across the UK is
fundamental to our mission to kick-start economic growth. Through
our industrial strategy and the development of local growth
plans, we will build on local strengths to ensure that public and
private research and development businesses right across the UK
help local places to reach their potential. We are strengthening
the relationships with businesses to deliver for British
people.
Frontier AI Safety
(Folkestone and Hythe)
(Lab)
6. If he will take steps to support the creation of a global
network of scientific research on frontier artificial
intelligence safety. (901338)
The Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology
()
The UK is a founding member of the AI Safety Institute
international network. The network convenes for the first time
today in San Francisco.
The UK is a global leader in AI development, which brings many
opportunities, but we know that the risks associated with AI can
be managed only by global co-operation. What steps is the
Department taking to ensure that the UK works with other main
leaders in AI development, including the US and China, to ensure
that the most advanced frontier AI models are safe for global
consumers?
My hon. Friend is completely right to say that safety has to be
there from the outset. We want our country to safely explore all
the opportunities that AI offers, but it can do so only if people
are reassured that safety is there from the outset. The UK safety
institute is at the forefront of this. It is the first safety
institute, and we are at the forefront of delivering
international as well as domestic safety. We are currently
working on an international review of the science of AI safety,
which draws on the expertise of 30 countries.
Mr Speaker
I call .
(Torbay) (LD)
On question number 13, Mr Speaker, may I ask the Minister what
steps he will take to ensure that people who are visually
impaired are able to engage—
Mr Speaker
Order. Sorry—we have not reached that question. I call the Chair
of the Science, Innovation and Technology Committee.
(Newcastle upon Tyne Central and West) (Lab)
My hon. Friend the Member for Folkestone and Hythe () rightly raises the need for
research into frontier AI safety, and I welcome the Government's
commitment to protecting the public from future AI risks. But AI
affects all of our lives already. Today, my Committee launches an
inquiry into algorithms, AI and their role in spreading online
harm, as we saw in the terrible riots over the summer. As we
build our evidence, how is the Minister building the evidence
base on AI online harms and their social impact right now?
I am extremely grateful to the Chair of the Select Committee for
choosing this as her first inquiry. It is an incredibly important
area. This Government are committed to the algorithmic
transparency recording standard. The previous Government reneged
on their commitment to having individual Departments releasing
their standard statement each year. This Government are
committing to doing so again and will remain committed to
reinforcing the fact that algorithms are there to serve people
and not the other way round.
(Strangford) (DUP)
There are many firms in Northern Ireland that have the capability
and the experience to offer some advice on getting scientific
research on AI safety. I know that the Minister is very
interested in Northern Ireland, so has he had an opportunity to
speak to companies in Northern Ireland so that we can play our
part in how we take this matter forward?
I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman for acknowledging my interest
in Northern Ireland, which I have already visited since being
appointed in order to meet some of the pioneering tech companies
there. I will stay committed to ensuring that the Government
recognise the talent across Northern Ireland, harnessing it for
not just the domestic good but the global good.
5G Roll-out
(Aldershot) (Lab)
7. What comparative assessment he has made of the effectiveness
of the roll-out of 5G in (a) the UK and (b) other countries.
(901339)
The Minister for Data Protection and Telecoms ()
Unfortunately, the UK's roll-out of 5G has been far too slow.
According to Opensignal, the UK ranks 22nd out of 25 European
countries for 5G download speeds and availability after 14 years
of Conservative rule. We are determined to change that, aiming to
have higher-quality stand-alone 5G in all populated areas by
2030.
Access to 5G data is a real issue in Aldershot. According to
Ofcom, a third of our households cannot connect to 5G—nearly
three times the national average. What are the Government doing
to give residents in Aldershot and Farnborough the same data
access as the rest of the country, and will the Minister make
that work a priority?
My hon. Friend is right: that work has to be a priority for
businesses, families and everybody engaged in her constituency,
and for the public sector. We want the Ministry of Defence in her
constituency, for instance, to have the highest-quality data
access possible, so that we can deliver more effective and
productive government across the whole United Kingdom. The work
will indeed be a priority for us.
(Ceredigion Preseli) (PC)
There have been great improvements in connectivity across
Ceredigion Preseli, but there remain total mobile notspots such
as Porthgain, and a growing body of evidence collected locally
that the connectivity reported by Ofcom does not quite stack up
against the lived experience of those on the ground. Will the
Minister meet me so that I can present some of the evidence
collected by local authorities in Ceredigion Preseli and he can
address the problem?
The hon. Gentleman has just said what I said a few minutes ago.
It is great that Plaid Cymru is signing up to the Labour party's
agenda these days, but it is upsetting that he forgot to mention
the seven high-quality masts extending better coverage of 4G in
Wales that have been installed in the last couple of months
alone. Of course I will happily meet him, and place in the
Library a copy of the letter that I received from Ofcom that
makes the precise point that we need to do much better in
recognising the real experience of people's mobile connectivity
rather than a theoretical, ethereal version of it.
Project Gigabit
(Telford) (Lab)
8. What progress his Department has made on the roll-out of
Project Gigabit. (901340)
The Minister for Data Protection and Telecoms ()
More than 30 Project Gigabit contracts are currently in place,
with a total value of almost £2 billion, and more are in the
pipeline. In the past few months, the first premises have been
connected as part of Project Gigabit contracts in areas including
Norfolk, West Yorkshire and south Wiltshire, and the build has
now started in earnest in other parts of the country.
I welcome the progress that the Government are making on the
roll-out of Project Gigabit to all corners of the country, but in
Telford the inequality remains stark, with some wards having
complete gigabit coverage and areas such as the world heritage
site in Ironbridge having almost none. Will the Government
confirm that their agenda to break down barriers to opportunity
includes residents, businesses and world heritage sites that
cannot get online?
The world heritage aspects relate to my Department for Culture,
Media and Sport responsibilities, but my hon. Friend is right
about Ironbridge. I hope that we will be able to announce
something shortly in relation to extending gigabit coverage in
his constituency through a procurement via Openreach.
(Moray West, Nairn and
Strathspey) (SNP)
The Minister will be aware that there is a strong link between
communications technology and the roll-out of smart meter
technology in areas in the north of Scotland that are suffering
from cold weather. Particularly at the moment, connectivity is
really important for such alternative technologies to work. What
discussions has he had with the Department for Energy Security
and Net Zero on that issue?
The hon. Gentleman is right: there is a series of issues about
the security and safety of connectivity in areas that suffer from
particular weather conditions. We had a successful summit on
Monday morning to discuss the closing down of the public services
network to ensure that everybody will be secure, but I assure him
that we will work closely with the Scottish Government to ensure
that the roll-out in all such areas works in the interests of
businesses, whatever the weather conditions.
Topical Questions
Dr (Worthing West) (Lab)
T1. If he will make a statement on his departmental
responsibilities.(901348)
The Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology
()
To protect people online, today I became the first Secretary of
State to exercise the power to set out my strategic online safety
proposals for Ofcom to consider. From increasing transparency to
baking safety into social media platforms from the outset, those
priorities will support Government in monitoring progress on
acting where our laws are coming up short. I have also launched a
new research project to explore the impact of social media on
young people's wellbeing and mental health.
Dr Cooper
Each year millions of patients in England interact with two or
more different hospital trusts. Most of the trusts that commonly
see the same patients do not use the same record systems. What
steps is the Minister taking with Cabinet colleagues to utilise
the Centre for Improving Data Collaboration and other available
technology to improve data sharing across NHS hospital
trusts?
What a pleasure it is to speak from the Dispatch Box to another
Labour MP from Sussex.
That issue is a Department of Health and Social Care
responsibility but, on its behalf, the Data (Use and Access) Bill
will include a requirement that IT providers in the NHS have to
meet information standards. That will deliver the
interoperability needed so that data can be shared across the
NHS, often for the very first time.
Mr Speaker
I call the shadow Minister.
(Havant) (Con)
On the Opposition Benches we are proud that it was the last
Conservative Government who created the Department for Science,
Innovation and Technology. I am glad that Labour is following our
agenda, and I look forward to my exchanges with the Secretary of
State.
Under the last Conservative Government, Britain was home to more
billion dollar tech start-ups than France and Germany combined,
but last month an industry survey found that nearly 90% of tech
founders would consider leaving Britain if Labour raised taxes on
tech businesses. Yesterday, Labour U-turned on policy in
Scotland, so today will the Secretary of State commit to
reversing Labour's jobs tax, which damages tech businesses across
the entire country?
I welcome the hon. Gentleman to his post. We worked together on
the all-party parliamentary group on the fourth industrial
revolution, which he chaired, and I look forward to having a
constructive relationship going forward.
The hon. Gentleman mentioned the last Government. Given the way
the Conservatives are going, that will have been their last
Government. To be honest, the circumstances that businesses,
large and small, operating in the tech landscape have asked for
are a smooth regulatory process—we have already delivered
regulatory reform; reform to planning—we have delivered reform to
the planning system; a stable financial settlement—we have
delivered that with a Budget for—
Mr Speaker
Order. Please, this is topicals. We will see a very good example
from the shadow Secretary of State.
I thank the Secretary of State for his kind words, but he has
punished labour: figures from his own Department show that
workers will be losing out by nearly £800 each per year as a
result of Labour's Budget. Will he stand up to the Chancellor and
oppose any further tax rises on Britain's hard-working tech
sector?
The Budget gave a pay rise to working people in this country and
set the conditions for a stable economy, fixing the black hole
left in our economy by the mismanagement of the last
Government.
James Asser (West Ham and Beckton) (Lab)
T4. Last week I was at London City airport's STEM event, which
brought together 500 students from secondary schools across east
London. Does the Secretary of State agree that if we are to see
thriving STEM industries, we need more engagement events like
that?(901352)
Outside the classroom, the CyberFirst programme has engaged
250,000 young people across the UK. Those are the first steps;
this Government will be going further.
(Harrow East) (Con)
T2. Recently, I hosted a briefing event for People for the
Ethical Treatment of Animals, where strong evidence was presented
that almost all drug research and research into other products
could be done without abusing animals. Will the Secretary of
State take the opportunity to ensure that we no longer experiment
on animals and that we use other methods to get products into
service?(901349)
I am grateful for the hon. Gentleman's question, because the
first job I ever had was at the Body Shop working for Anita
Roddick, and I joined her campaign against animal testing for
cosmetics. She would be proud to see me at the Dispatch Box
engaging in this conversation. Labour made a manifesto commitment
to phase out animal testing in the long term. That is something
we are committed to and something we are taking steps
towards.
(Blyth and Ashington) (Lab)
T5. The peddling of fake news and disinformation on social media
platforms is fuelling extremism. It also impacts heavily on our
democratic processes in the UK. What safeguards are the
Government putting in place to combat this really serious
issue?(901353)
I am extremely grateful to my hon. Friend for raising one of the
most serious issues of our time. The Online Safety Act 2023
requires providers, as part of their risk assessment, to consider
specifically how algorithms will impact a user's exposure to
illegal content and children's exposure to harmful content. I
have introduced new measures to ensure that children are kept
safe, and today I issued a statement of strategic priority to
Ofcom to insist that it continues to do so in future.
David Davis (Goole and Pocklington) (Con)
T3. Last year, nearly 50 British universities were identified
as having research ties with what are deemed very high-risk
Chinese institutions. Subsequently, the intelligence services
briefed 24 universities on resisting the infiltration attempts of
foreign agencies, but the Intelligence and Security Committee
report states that it is “highly likely” that joint UK-China
research projects are used for military purposes. What is the
Department doing to protect our research and our
security?(901351)
The Government are working closely with individual universities,
the university sector and our intelligence community to ensure
that our research is not only world class but safe and secure.
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