Asked by: Catherine Fookes (Labour - Monmouthshire)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether his Department has made an assessment of the River Severn Partnership and Streetwave's Mobile Coverage Survey.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The River Severn Partnership commissioned the survey in support of its wider activities and projects as a Department for Science, Innovation and Technology funded 5G Innovation Region.
The regulator, Ofcom, is responsible for measuring and reporting on network coverage. Ofcom’s improved consumer facing coverage checker, ‘Map Your Mobile’, went live on 26 June showing coverage data that should be more in line with people’s lived experience. More granular data, including at a local authority level, will be published as part of the Connected Nations 2025 report, expected later this year.
I am committed to continuing to work with Ofcom to improve the accuracy of reporting of mobile coverage across the UK. This remains a priority as set out in the proposed Statement of Strategic Priorities for telecommunications, the management of radio spectrum, and postal services.
Asked by: Catherine Fookes (Labour - Monmouthshire)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps his Department is taking to help prevent children in Monmouthshire being exposed to pornography.
Answered by Feryal Clark
The Government is committed to keeping children safe online. Our priority is the effective implementation of the Online Safety Act so that children benefit from its wide-reaching protections.
The Act requires that all in scope services that allow pornography use highly effective age assurance to prevent children from accessing it, including services that host user-generated content, and services which publish pornography. Ofcom has robust enforcement powers available against companies who fail to fulfil their duties.