Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of setting minimum quality standards for mobile phone connections.

Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

There are widely recognised international technical standards for mobile telecommunications services in place, developed through the International Telecommunications Union and Third Generation Partnership Project. These standards set out technical performance requirements and metrics.

Ofcom recently updated its definition of ‘good’ mobile coverage as part of the update to their mobile coverage checker tool, ‘Map Your Mobile’. This reflects the level of service required to carry out the tasks people expect to use their mobile device for today.

User’s expectations of what they expect to be able to do on their mobile device evolve over time. In the recent proposed Ofcom Statement of Strategic Priorities for telecommunications, the management of radio spectrum, and postal services, therefore, government asked Ofcom to keep under review its definitions of “good” 4G and 5G.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the use of road closures to prevent vehicles disturbing standing water that has collected after heavy rainfall on properties at risk of flooding.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The organisational responsibilities and operational processes for local road closures due to flooding are generally held by the Highways Department of the relevant local authority and the Emergency Services. Local private roads are the responsibility of the relevant landowner.

Local highway authorities have a duty under Section 41 of the Highways Act 1980 to maintain the highways network in their area. Section 14 of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 allows for local highway authorities to close roads temporarily when there is likelihood of danger to the public or the possibility of serious damage to the highway.

The Environment Agency works with local authorities in advance of potential flooding to advise them about current and predicted water levels, the local authority will then decide on whether to close roads. In many cases the extent of roads likely to be affected by flooding is well understood and arrangements to manage closures well-rehearsed.

Thanking postal workers