Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to support patients with pulmonary fibrosis in Devon.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Royal Devon University Hospital provides a regional interstitial lung disease service covering Devon. The team provides clinical care, support, and access to services such as pulmonary rehabilitation. Patients with pulmonary fibrosis may attend pulmonary rehabilitation services in Exeter, North Devon, Torbay, and Plymouth.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to the Draft regulations to commence Sections 61 to 64 of the Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure Act 2022, published on 7 May 2025, what recent discussions he has had with (a) telecommunication landlords and (b) prospective telecommunications landlords on the Electronic Communications Code 2017.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The technical consultation on draft regulations to commence Sections 61 – 64 of the Act, dealing with certain Renewal agreements closed on 2 July 2025. The department received submissions from a range of stakeholders in response to the consultation, including landowners, Wireless Infrastructure Providers and Mobile Network Operators.
Officials have kept these stakeholders updated on progress to implement outstanding provisions of the PSTI Act, including sections 61 – 64. This has been done through group sessions, which site providers, operators and infrastructure providers have all been invited to attend. Officials have also shared these updates and listened to feedback as part of their routine engagement with stakeholders. This engagement has included regular and ad hoc meetings with specific organisations and representative groups.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps the NHS is taking to improve preventative measures for pulmonary fibrosis.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The causes of pulmonary fibrosis can be uncertain. However, measures exist to prevent the industrial exposure related causes of pulmonary fibrosis such as The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 and The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999.
Smoking can also cause pulmonary fibrosis. To support current smokers to quit, an additional £70 million will be provided in 2025/26 to support local authority-led Stop Smoking Services in England.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what discussions she has had with the Competition and Markets Authority on the potential impact of the merger of Vodafone and Three on the rollout of 5G.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is an independent regulator and Government has no role in merger and remedies decisions on a competition basis. The Secretary of State has not discussed the potential impacts of the merger of Vodafone and Three on the rollout of 5G with them.
However, the Secretary of State welcomes Vodafone UK and Three UK’s binding £11 billion investment commitment to upgrade the UK’s mobile networks to higher quality standalone 5G.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, if she will take steps to increase competition in the telecoms tower market.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The government is committed to a competitive mobile market where consumers and business have access to high-quality, secure and affordable connectivity. We will publish a Mobile Market Review call for evidence in the coming months to help better understand how technological, structural and financial changes could impact the industry’s ability to invest in widespread high-quality connectivity, this includes impacts on the mobile tower market.
The CMA and Ofcom have the duty to promote competition and protect consumers within telecoms markets. Where they identify anti-competitive behaviour, they have powers to investigate and implement measures to promote competition. Government works with these regulators where appropriate.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate her Department has made of the potential impact of the UK-EU Sanitary and Phytosanitary Agreement on the number of cross-border transfers of livestock since 2020.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We have agreed to work towards a common Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Area which will slash costs and remove red tape. The removal of the need for Export Health Certification would save trading businesses up to £200 per consignment each time goods are sent.
Later we will start the detailed negotiations on the SPS agreement, as well as the other commitments from our summit in May.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of requiring tower companies to (a) improve coverage and (b) re-invest in new sites.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Tower companies play a key role in the market; they deliver the physical infrastructure that hosts telecommunications equipment. This allows mobile network operators to provide communities and businesses across the UK with the mobile coverage they need and expect.
Outside of government funded programmes, investment into new telecommunications infrastructure is a commercial decision, but we want to ensure that any investment translates into real world impacts for consumers and businesses. This is why we are working with the industry to ensure that we have the right policy and regulatory framework in facilitate this, including removing barriers to deployment where they exist and it is practical to do so.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether her Department holds information on the average rental income for telecommunication providers (a) before and (b) after the Electronic Communications Code 2017 was implemented.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
In the impact assessment produced in 2016 to accompany the 2017 reforms, it was anticipated that there would be a reduction in rents from operators to landowners but that it would be difficult to precisely predict the effect of the reforms on rental payments. The impact assessment referenced independent analysis conducted by the specialist telecommunications consultancy Nordicity, commissioned by DCMS, which estimated a potential 40% decrease in rents.
During the passage of the Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure Act 2022, it was suggested by Speed up Britain, an industry group, that the average rent reduction was 63%. Given the commercial – and often sensitive – nature of most Code agreements, meaningful data on rents would be difficult to collect and assess.
Government has no plans to conduct a formal review of the 2017 reforms to the Electronic Communications Code before commencing the remaining sections of the 2022 Act.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Electronic Communication Code 2017 on 5G rollout.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The aim of the 2017 reforms was to encourage investment in digital networks and improve coverage and connectivity across the UK.
Our ambition is that all populated areas will have higher-quality standalone 5G by 2030. We are committed to removing barriers to the digital infrastructure, including reviewing where planning rules could be relaxed to support the deployment of 5G.
Analysis from the EU Commission showed 5G households' coverage in the UK at the end of 2024 (95%) was on par with India, China and ahead of France (94%) and the EU (94.3%), but behind South Korea (100%), Japan (99.2%), Norway, Iceland and Germany (all 99%) as well as USA (97.0%). Since this assessment, UK 5G coverage outside premises has increased to 96%.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to the consultation on the Draft regulations to commence Sections 61 to 64 of the Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure Act 2022, which closed on 7 May 2025, whether her Department plans to issue guidance to telecommunication landlords on tackling costs from backdated interim rent.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Subject to considering the consultation responses, we intend to finalise the draft regulations relating to the renewals provisions, contained in Sections 61-64 of the Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure Act 2022 ( the “Renewal Provisions”) by the end of the year. We intend to publish the Government’s response to the consultation within the same timeframe.
The consultation has specifically addressed the backdating issue, and asked respondents to make representations in relation to this. The intention behind the draft regulations consulted on was to ensure that while landowners may still be required to pay back rents for other reasons, they would not be required to pay back rents received as direct consequence of the Renewal Provisions for any periods up to the date on which the Renewal Provisions come into force.
The final regulations, when made, will be accompanied by an explanatory note.