Asked by: Andrew Mitchell (Conservative - Sutton Coldfield)
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 trends in the level of mobile signal coverage gaps in the West Midlands.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Technology)
Ofcom is responsible for reporting on mobile network coverage across the UK through their Connected Nations Reports and Map Your Mobile tool. Utilising the Connected Nations data, trends in how coverage has evolved over time can be determined.
As of January 2026, by aggregating the coverage in the 30 local and unitary authorities in the West Midlands region, 93.6% of the West Midlands has 4G geographic coverage from all four mobile operators (as defined by Ofcom), while standalone 5G is available outside of 93.2% of premises from at least one operator. This is means 4G coverage increased from 92.9% in July 2025, and standalone 5G coverage rose quite substantially from 80.5% over the same period.
Asked by: Andrew Mitchell (Conservative - Sutton Coldfield)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps she is taking to support AI development in the West Midlands.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Technology)
The Government recognises that artificial intelligence is one of the most significant opportunities of our time, and we are determined to ensure that its benefits are felt in every part of the country, including the West Midlands.
In January 2025, the Government set out an ambitious plan for the UK to lead in shaping the AI revolution, transforming outcomes for people, public services and the economy.
One year on, that plan is delivering. We have met 38 of the AI Action Plan’s 50 commitments, enabling faster AI adoption, tangible progress across public services and the foundations for economic growth.
We are also providing free AI training for all and will provide 10 million workers with essential AI skills by 2030, with the aim to make the UK the fastest adopting AI country in the G7. Through these initiatives and others, we will drive economic opportunity and support workers to adapt and thrive in workplaces across the UK, including communities in the West Midlands.
Asked by: Andrew Mitchell (Conservative - Sutton Coldfield)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether guidance has been issued to Birmingham City Council on maintaining non-digital access routes for digitally excluded residents.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Technology)
Everybody should be able to access the public services they need with ease.
While local authorities – including Birmingham City Council – have autonomy for how they design and deliver services, all public bodies must comply with the Public Sector Bodies Accessibility Regulations 2018, the Equality Act 2010 and the Public Sector Equality Duty, which require them to consider the needs of disabled people and ensure their websites and apps are accessible to all users.
Councils are encouraged to adopt the government Service Standard and Service Manual, as a framework and guidance for good, accessible and inclusive service design.
Asked by: Andrew Mitchell (Conservative - Sutton Coldfield)
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 adequacy of digital connectivity for businesses in the West Midlands.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Technology)
The Government recognises that high quality digital connectivity is essential for businesses in the West Midlands and across the whole of the UK. Our ambition is for all populated areas to have access to higher quality standalone 5G by 2030 and we have a target to deliver nationwide (99%) gigabit broadband coverage by 2032.
The rollout of standalone 5G, is being led by commercial investment from the three Mobile Network Operators (MNOs). All three MNOs have committed to significant investment plans which align with our 2030 ambition, and we continue to work to with the sector to understand what more we can do to stimulate investment in high-quality connectivity and identify (and address) barriers to infrastructure deployment where practical to do so.
Project Gigabit is the Government’s programme to deliver gigabit-capable broadband to UK premises that are not included in suppliers' commercial plans. Delivery across the West Midlands is primarily being taken forward through several Project Gigabit contracts, including those covering Herefordshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire and Worcestershire, alongside wider cross-regional interventions to reach remaining homes and businesses.
Based on Ofcom’s Connected Nations reporting, as of January 2026, by aggregating the coverage in the 30 local and unitary authorities in the West Midlands region, we find that 93.6% of the landmass of the West Midlands had 4G geographic coverage from all four mobile network operators (MNO), whilst standalone 5G was available outside 93.2% of premises across the region from at least one MNO. This compares to 84% of the UK landmass having 4G geographic coverage from all four MNOs, and standalone 5G being available outside 93% of UK premises from at least one operator.
For gigabit-capable coverage, we estimate that 90.2% of West Midlands premises has access to gigabit-capable broadband, this is above the UK wide average of 88%. Gigabit-capable broadband coverage specifically to businesses stands at 74.4% in the West Midlands compared to a UK wide figure of 71%. Additionally, some businesses use leased-line services to receive a broadband connection, but the Department does not hold data on the extent to which these services are used.
Asked by: Andrew Mitchell (Conservative - Sutton Coldfield)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to ensure resilience against future memory chip shortages.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Technology)
The Government recognises the importance of memory chips to our economy and critical sectors. We regularly engage with industry to monitor supply chain vulnerabilities and understand potential risks across all chip types. Given the global nature of semiconductor supply chains, the UK is working closely with international partners bilaterally and through multilateral fora – such as the G7 and OECD - to strengthen collective resilience, improve information‑sharing, and develop coordinated approaches to supply chain challenges.
Asked by: Andrew Mitchell (Conservative - Sutton Coldfield)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps she is taking to support tech start-up companies to scale up in the Midlands.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Technology)
This Government is committed to removing barriers to growth for scaleups across the UK - ensuring the UK is one of the best places for tech to start, scale and stay.
We are strengthening regional tech ecosystems through the Regional Tech Booster, a programme supporting startups and accelerating tech clusters beyond London. Furthermore, £50 million funding has been earmarked to the West Midlands through the Local Innovation Partnerships Fund – our £500 million programme to grow regional innovation strengths. Regions across the UK, including the other Midlands regions, were able to bid for up to £20 million through the fund’s competition. UKRI are now independently assessing the quality of these bids.
More broadly, we are supporting the sector through venture capital schemes, R&D tax reliefs, targeted visa routes, the AI Opportunities Action Plan and streamlining regulation to support innovation. Through the Budget, we are investing in skills, compute, and designated AI Growth Zones; on R&D, we are committing £38.6bn to UKRI over five years; and powering entrepreneurship with the Entrepreneurship Prospectus, Enterprise Fellowships, and Innovate UK’s £130m Growth Catalyst. We are unlocking finance via pension and capital‑markets reforms, while the British Business Bank increases annual investment to £2.5bn and commits £5bn to growth‑stage funds.
Together, these measures set out a comprehensive, long‑term plan backed by record funding, to support growth across the whole UK.
Asked by: Andrew Mitchell (Conservative - Sutton Coldfield)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what discussions he has had with (a) the West Midlands Combined Authority and (b) Birmingham city council on the AI Growth Zones scheme.
Answered by Feryal Clark
The government recognises the critical role of AI infrastructure in supporting advanced AI technologies. The AI Opportunities Action Plan outlines how the UK can build the cutting-edge compute infrastructure needed to lead in AI development and deployment, securing long-term economic growth and staying at the forefront of AI innovation.
We are interested in partnering with local and regional authorities and devolved administrations to establish AI Growth Zones, ensuring substantial regional and national benefits, such as upskilling and employment opportunities, are felt across the country.
On Monday 10 February, local and regional authorities, along with industry, were invited to come forward with potential sites suitable for hosting AI infrastructure as an early expression of interest. This was followed by a discussion about towns in the Birmingham area.