Asked by: John Milne (Liberal Democrat - Horsham)
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 improve the reliability of broadband and mobile connectivity for businesses in rural areas.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The government recognises that high quality digital connectivity is essential for businesses in the UK, including in rural areas. 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.
By phasing out copper-based connections and rolling out gigabit-capable fibre broadband, we are enabling faster and more resilient connectivity. Through Project Gigabit, we are delivering fast, reliable broadband to UK homes and businesses not included in suppliers' commercial plans, complementing commercial market delivery. As of the end of December 2025, over 1.3 million homes and businesses in rural areas across the UK had been upgraded to gigabit-capable broadband through government-funded programmes.
Standalone 5G has the potential to offer high speed, high capacity, reliable connectivity, allowing communities and businesses to thrive. Where reliable 4G is not available, the Government’s Shared Rural Network programme continues to deliver 4G coverage, thereby improving the reliability and resilience of mobile connectivity. The programme has already met its interim target ahead of schedule, extending 4G coverage to over 95% of the UK landmass, with delivery continuing to January 2027 to address remaining not‑spots. This is improving day‑to‑day connectivity for rural businesses.
We recognise that power cuts can affect services, especially in rural areas. Ofcom are completing a detailed regulatory review of the resilience of mobile networks to power cuts, and Government is supporting collaboration between the electricity and telecommunications sectors to further reduce the likelihood and duration of any loss to mobile services from power cuts.
Asked by: John Milne (Liberal Democrat - Horsham)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, if he will make £20 million available each year to fund research into alternatives for animal testing.
Answered by Feryal Clark
The Labour Manifesto includes a commitment to “partner with scientists, industry, and civil society as we work towards the phasing out of animal testing”, which is a long-term goal. The Government will publish a strategy to support the development, validation and uptake of alternative methods later this year. Any future funding allocations are subject to the outcome of the Spending Review.
Asked by: John Milne (Liberal Democrat - Horsham)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, if he will make it his policy to make £20 million available each year to fund research into alternatives for animal testing.
Answered by Feryal Clark
The Labour Manifesto includes a commitment to “partner with scientists, industry, and civil society as we work towards the phasing out of animal testing”, which is a long-term goal. The government will publish a strategy to support the development, validation and uptake of alternative methods later this year. The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology are considering funding into alternatives for animal testing as part of the Spending Review, and cannot commit funding amounts in advance of this process.
Asked by: John Milne (Liberal Democrat - Horsham)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, if he will meet with Dr Susan Michaelis to discuss funding of research into invasive lobular breast cancer.
Answered by Feryal Clark
The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) and Office for Life Sciences Officials have met with Dr Michaelis to discuss lobular breast cancer. The Government does not ringfence funding for specific cancer types. DSIT invests approximately £200 million into cancer research annually via UK Research and Innovation, and The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) spent £121.8 million in 2022/23 on cancer research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research. DHSC is currently developing a new National Cancer Plan which will outline the Government’s strategy to improve patient outcomes for all cancer types, including breast cancer.
Asked by: John Milne (Liberal Democrat - Horsham)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to fund research into lobular breast cancer.
Answered by Feryal Clark
The Government doesn’t ringfence funding for specific diseases but is committed to funding cancer research, including lobular breast cancer. The Department of Health and Social Care spent £121.8 million in 2022/23 on cancer research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research.
The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology funds cancer research via UK Innovation and Research (UKRI). UKRI invests approximately £200 million annually into cancer research, of which £10m per year is for breast cancer research.
Office for Life Sciences’ Cancer Healthcare Goals programme funds innovations at the earlier stages of the research and development pipeline. Such innovations will have the potential to diagnose multiple tumour types, including breast cancer.
We have allocated £1.3 million of funding for a National Institute of Health and Care Research (NIHR) project that will assess the effectiveness of a new form of MRI scan to detect breast cancers that have been missed by mammograms.
Further NIHR research infrastructure funding supports Biomedical Research Centres and the NIHR Research Delivery Network, which has enabled delivery of 10 lobular breast-cancer studies.