Asked by: Mims Davies (Conservative - East Grinstead and Uckfield)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many MP surgeries have Ministers in her Department had with MPs (a) in period July 2024 to January 2025 and (b) since January 2025.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
Treasury Ministers meet regularly with Members of Parliament to discuss a wide range of issues relating to their departmental responsibilities and matters of interest to constituents. Information on individual meetings is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Mims Davies (Conservative - East Grinstead and Uckfield)
Question to the Wales Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what steps she is taking to help mitigate the potential impact of extreme temperatures in Wales.
Answered by Jo Stevens
The levers to mitigate the impact of extreme temperatures in Wales are a mixture of devolved and reserved responsibilities. Climate change adaptation is generally devolved in Wales.
The Met Office (a UK Government Agency of the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology) provides warnings for extreme heat and has a network of civil contingency advisors across all parts of the UK to help local councils make decisions during periods of severe weather which includes a team dedicated to Wales. The Welsh Government is also represented in civil contingency structures for severe heat emergencies.
The UK Government is tackling the potential impact of extreme temperatures by electrifying Britain and delivering clean, homegrown energy, which will also unlock greater energy security, lower bills for good, cleaner air and thousands of good jobs.
The Government has set the next achievable and pragmatic target for long-term emissions reduction, Carbon Budget 7, building on the framework that has secured billions of private investment and economic growth since 2008.
Since July 2024, over £100 billion of private investment has been announced in UK clean energy industries. The UK’s net zero economy now underpins the jobs of 1.1 million UK workers, according to the CBI report published in June 2026. The UK Government is taking action to deliver clean energy in Wales – we are progressing the UK’s first SMRs at Wylfa, supporting The Crown Estate’s Leasing Round 5 which will deliver up to 4.5GW of floating wind in the Celtic Sea, and secured a contract for the Awel y Môr offshore wind project.
Asked by: Mims Davies (Conservative - East Grinstead and Uckfield)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how many MP surgeries have Ministers in his Department had with MPs (a) in period July 2024 to January 2025 and (b) since January 2025.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The information requested is not held centrally.
Asked by: Mims Davies (Conservative - East Grinstead and Uckfield)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what role she considers broadcast infrastructure plays in ensuring that the Government can communicate with the public during national emergencies.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
The government understands how important it is that citizens can access information in times of national emergency. Resilient radio and television play an important role in a range of different emergency scenarios.
The BBC has specific requirements under its Framework Agreement in relation to broadcast security and resilience, and works closely with DCMS in ensuring its infrastructure is able to support emergency communications.
DCMS works with the Cabinet Office and other Departments to ensure the BBC’s public emergency messaging capabilities are integrated into wider cross government resilience planning.
Asked by: Mims Davies (Conservative - East Grinstead and Uckfield)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of trends in employment levels in the retail sector in East Grinstead and Uckfield.
Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.
A response to the Parliamentary Question of 7th July is attached.
Asked by: Mims Davies (Conservative - East Grinstead and Uckfield)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of how the UK’s communications infrastructure would perform in maintaining mass public communications in the event of a large-scale cyber-attack on broadband networks.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Technology)
The Government works closely with communications providers, Ofcom, the energy sector and other partners to ensure the resilience and security of the UK's communications infrastructure. Communications providers are responsible for the resilience of their networks and services and have statutory obligations to identify, reduce and manage risks that could affect the security and availability of services. Ofcom oversees compliance and has powers to monitor, investigate failures and take enforcement action where appropriate. The Government is also supporting collaboration between the electricity and telecommunications sectors to reduce the likelihood of telecommunications disruption during power outages and, where disruption occurs, minimise the number of people affected and the duration of any impact. In the event of a national power outage or a large-scale cyber incident affecting broadband networks, plans are in place to ensure the public can continue to receive critical information. This includes the use of BBC Radio 2 and BBC Radio 4, which would continue to broadcast key public advice. In the event of a prolonged broadband outage, critical information can also be communicated through alternative channels, including Emergency Alerts, which do not require a broadband connection to operate.
On 6 September 2024, Ofcom published updated Network and Service Resilience Guidance setting out the measures communications providers should take to improve network resilience. In February 2025, Ofcom published a technical report on mobile power resilience and undertook further analysis of mobile network resilience. Building on this work, Ofcom updated its Resilience Guidance in June 2026, clarifying its expectations for mobile network operators' backup power arrangements and sharing its findings with Government to support wider policy development.
The Telecommunications (Security) Act 2021 established a strengthened framework for the security and resilience of public telecommunications networks and services, introducing enhanced security duties on providers to protect their networks and services against cyber attack and reduce the risk and impact of security compromises. The framework is supported by the Telecommunications Security Code of Practice, which was updated in 2026 to reflect evolving threats, technologies and operational practices.
Asked by: Mims Davies (Conservative - East Grinstead and Uckfield)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of how the UK’s communications infrastructure would perform in maintaining mass public communications in the event of a national power outage.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Technology)
The Government works closely with communications providers, Ofcom, the energy sector and other partners to ensure the resilience and security of the UK's communications infrastructure. Communications providers are responsible for the resilience of their networks and services and have statutory obligations to identify, reduce and manage risks that could affect the security and availability of services. Ofcom oversees compliance and has powers to monitor, investigate failures and take enforcement action where appropriate. The Government is also supporting collaboration between the electricity and telecommunications sectors to reduce the likelihood of telecommunications disruption during power outages and, where disruption occurs, minimise the number of people affected and the duration of any impact. In the event of a national power outage or a large-scale cyber incident affecting broadband networks, plans are in place to ensure the public can continue to receive critical information. This includes the use of BBC Radio 2 and BBC Radio 4, which would continue to broadcast key public advice. In the event of a prolonged broadband outage, critical information can also be communicated through alternative channels, including Emergency Alerts, which do not require a broadband connection to operate.
On 6 September 2024, Ofcom published updated Network and Service Resilience Guidance setting out the measures communications providers should take to improve network resilience. In February 2025, Ofcom published a technical report on mobile power resilience and undertook further analysis of mobile network resilience. Building on this work, Ofcom updated its Resilience Guidance in June 2026, clarifying its expectations for mobile network operators' backup power arrangements and sharing its findings with Government to support wider policy development.
The Telecommunications (Security) Act 2021 established a strengthened framework for the security and resilience of public telecommunications networks and services, introducing enhanced security duties on providers to protect their networks and services against cyber attack and reduce the risk and impact of security compromises. The framework is supported by the Telecommunications Security Code of Practice, which was updated in 2026 to reflect evolving threats, technologies and operational practices.
Asked by: Mims Davies (Conservative - East Grinstead and Uckfield)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what plans her Department has in place to ensure continuity of mass public communications during prolonged disruption to IP-based networks.
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 maintaining public communications during disruptions affecting telecommunications networks. Telecommunications providers are required to take appropriate and proportionate measures to identify, reduce, prepare for and recover from risks to the resilience of their networks and services, under the Communications Act 2003, as amended by the Telecommunications (Security) Act 2021. The department works closely with industry, Ofcom and other government departments through established resilience and emergency response arrangements to prepare for, respond to and recover from major telecommunications incidents, while continuing to strengthen the resilience of the UK's telecommunications infrastructure.
Asked by: Mims Davies (Conservative - East Grinstead and Uckfield)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment she has made of the role of maintaining multiple, independent communications platforms in strengthening the UK’s national resilience – particularly those not dependent on fixed broadband.
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 diverse and resilient communications networks as part of the UK's national resilience. Telecommunications providers are required under the Communications Act 2003, as amended by the Telecommunications (Security) Act 2021, to take appropriate and proportionate measures to identify, reduce and prepare for risks to the availability and resilience of their networks and services. Ofcom oversees compliance with these duties.
The UK benefits from a range of communications technologies, including fixed, mobile, satellite and broadcast services. A diverse communications ecosystem helps reduce dependence on any single technology and can support continuity of communications during disruptive events. The government works closely with industry, Ofcom and resilience partners to strengthen the resilience of communications infrastructure, including through planning for severe weather, power outages and other risks.
Asked by: Mims Davies (Conservative - East Grinstead and Uckfield)
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 merits for cyber resilience of maintaining communications systems with differing architectures and modes of delivery.
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 resilient communications networks and services. Telecommunications providers are required to take appropriate and proportionate measures to identify, reduce, prepare for and recover from risks to the security and resilience of their networks and services under the Communications Act 2003, as amended by the Telecommunications (Security) Act 2021. The government works closely with Ofcom and industry to strengthen telecommunications resilience and to ensure providers are able to manage a range of risks, including cyber threats, through appropriate resilience and security measures. These measures may include maintaining different communications architectures and modes of delivery, although this is not, in general, legally mandated.