Asked by: Chris Bryant (Labour - Rhondda)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, how many premises were able to access a gigabit-capable broadband connection in each constituency in the period between March 2019 and March 2024.
Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Constituency-level statistics detailing the percentage of premises with access to a gigabit-capable connection over this period are available from the independent website Think Broadband.com.
As of March 2024, over 81% of premises across the UK are able to access a gigabit-capable connection, up from just 6% in March 2019.
Asked by: Chris Bryant (Labour - Rhondda)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, pursuant to the Answer of 1 May 2024 to Question 23701 on Voice over Internet Protocol: Local Government, which local authorities her Department has had discussions with; and on what dates those discussions took place.
Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Department has previously engaged with Local Authorities on this issue via the Local Government Association. This engagement is ongoing and is in addition to frequent meetings with other relevant stakeholders, including industry and the signatories of the Charter.
Asked by: Chris Bryant (Labour - Rhondda)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, which stakeholders her Department has had discussions with on the Telecare National Action Plan.
Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Department has engaged with key stakeholders on the Telecare National Action Plan, including the telecoms sector, telecare sector, the independent telecoms regulator Ofcom, the third sector – including Which?, Citizen's Advice, and Silver Voices - and other Government departments.
Asked by: Chris Bryant (Labour - Rhondda)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, if she will publish a list of meetings her Department has had with local authorities on the switch off of the public switched telephone network since April 2023.
Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Department has regular meetings with Local Authorities on this issue. That is in addition to frequent meetings with other relevant stakeholders, including industry and the signatories of the Charter.
Asked by: Chris Bryant (Labour - Rhondda)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, if she will publish a list of her Department's meetings on the public switched telephone network Charter since January 2024.
Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Department has regular meetings with Local Authorities on this issue. That is in addition to frequent meetings with other relevant stakeholders, including industry and the signatories of the Charter.
Asked by: Chris Bryant (Labour - Rhondda)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, pursuant to the Answer of 22 April 2024 to Question 22261 on Voice Over Internet Protocol: Telemedicine, how many written updates from Communication Providers she has received on their approach to the migration from Public Switched Telephone Network to Voice over Internet Protocol since January 2024; and if she will publish updates received.
Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
I can confirm that extensive discussions with Communication Providers (CPs) are ongoing, with a formalised reporting system having recently been established and a first update expected in May. Separately, Ofcom has also agreed a formal incident reporting system with CPs, with the first update expected in July of this year.
Asked by: Chris Bryant (Labour - Rhondda)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, if she will publish a list of meetings held by her Department with stakeholders on the Telecare National Action Plan.
Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Department has now agreed a first version of the Telecare National Action Plan (TNAP) with the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) and the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC). The Plan is now being tested with key stakeholders including the telecoms sector, the telecare sector, and Ofcom, and we plan to publish it as soon as we are able.
I do not propose to publish a list of meetings held by my department on the TNAP as this engagement is ongoing, but I can confirm that extensive discussions with stakeholders from the sectors outlined above is taking place.
Asked by: Chris Bryant (Labour - Rhondda)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, when she plans to publish the Telecare National Action Plan.
Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Department has now agreed a first version of the Telecare National Action Plan (TNAP) with the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) and the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC). The Plan is now being tested with key stakeholders including the telecoms sector, the telecare sector, and Ofcom, and we plan to publish it as soon as we are able.
I do not propose to publish a list of meetings held by my department on the TNAP as this engagement is ongoing, but I can confirm that extensive discussions with stakeholders from the sectors outlined above is taking place.
Asked by: Chris Bryant (Labour - Rhondda)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, when she expects the national communications awareness campaign on the switching off of the Public Switched Telephone Network to begin; and how long it will last for.
Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The telecoms industry is leading on developing a communications campaign which will be funded by industry and will focus on telecare users. My officials are working closely with industry, telecare providers and charities to support this. However, we cannot confirm when it will be launched as this is not a Government-led campaign.
Separately, the department has published guidance on GOV.UK about the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) migration. This resource provides details about how consumers can prepare for the switchover and where they can find additional information. The webpage can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/uk-transition-from-analogue-to-digital-landlines.
Asked by: Chris Bryant (Labour - Rhondda)
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 impact of switching from ISDN to SIP lines on the resilience of emergency service networks.
Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Emergency Services are operationally independent and have responsibility for the operation of emergency service control rooms that process emergency calls, as overseen by local Chief Officer and relevant Lead Government Departments, including Departments in the Devolved Administrations as applicable.
The digital transition is industry led and the emergency services are being supported by their respective communications providers. DSIT is working closely with the lead government departments for the emergency services to provide advice on areas of risk which has prompted actions from the emergency services to increase resilience measures.
DSIT does not hold any data on the number of silent calls received by the emergency services.