Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Digital Connectivity: Rural Areas

Wednesday 20 November 2024 · 4 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 4 Partly answered 0 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Connor Naismith requested a meeting to discuss poor mobile signal and digital connectivity issues in the village of Haslington.
  • The Minister agreed to meet Jeremy Hunt to discuss connectivity issues affecting the village of Crowthorne.
  • The Secretary of State agreed to visit TechResort in Bracknell to hear more about digital inclusion efforts.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Connor Naismith Lab Crewe and Nantwich
Science & Technology Environment
Context

Haslington village constituents face poor mobile signal, impacting emergency services access. The question arises from the lack of progress on digital connectivity issues under Conservative government over 14 years.

Question

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?

Answer from Chris Bryant

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 Smith), 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.

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Q2 Connor Naismith Lab Crewe and Nantwich
Energy Business & Trade Environment
Context

Villages such as Cranleigh, Shamley Green, Peaslake, Gomshall, and Bramley have significant issues with 4G and 5G mobile phone reception, impacting the use of apps for activities like parking.

Question

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?

Answer from Chris Bryant

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.

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Q3 Jeremy Hunt Con Godalming and Ash
Energy Environment
Context

The village of Crowthorne faces issues with digital connectivity for mobile phones and 4G, impacting rural and semi-rural areas.

Question

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?

Answer from Chris Bryant

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.<br/>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.

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Q4 Peter Swallow Lab Bracknell
Economy Science & Technology
Context

TechResort organization supports people who are digitally excluded to become digitally included. The question asks for support from the Secretary of State.

Question

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?

Answer from Chris Bryant

I am pleased to say that the Secretary of State says he will indeed visit when he possibly can.<br/>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.

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