Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to support the deployment of dark fibre for data-intensive businesses in (a) England, (b) London and (c) west London.

Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

As the independent regulator for telecommunications, Ofcom is responsible for making regulatory decisions in the fixed telecoms sector, including on dark fibre in the leased lines market. DSIT regularly engages with Ofcom and industry stakeholders on these and related issues.

DSIT provides steers to Ofcom through our Statement of Strategic Priorities (SSP) for telecommunications, the management of radio spectrum, and postal services. Ofcom must have regard to this when making regulatory decisions, including in the context of the Telecoms Access Review.

In July, DSIT published a consultation on a draft updated SSP that sets out the Government’s view on business connectivity, setting it as a priority for the regulator. Officials are currently reviewing responses to the consultation and DSIT will publish its response in due course.

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 increase the reliability of infrastructure for 5G connectivity in London.

Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The government wants all areas of the UK, including London, to benefit from reliable and high-quality mobile coverage, and this is reflected in our ambition for all populated areas to have higher quality standalone 5G by 2030.

The department continues to work closely with the mobile network operators to deliver on this ambition, including removing barriers to deployment where they exist. This includes launching a call for evidence as soon as possible to assess the merits of planning reform to support the deployment of mobile infrastructure.

Through the Electronic Response and Resilience Group, DSIT works in partnership with communications providers to promote resilience across the sector.

The Telecommunications (Security) Act 2021 amended the Communications Act 2003 to place new security duties on telecoms providers to identify, reduce, and prepare for the risks of security compromises in public telecoms networks or services and to remedy or mitigate their adverse effects. These obligations are overseen by Ofcom, who have powers to enforce compliance. Ofcom publish information on security and resilience of networks in their annual Connected Nations UK Report.

In December 2023, Ofcom launched a public Call for Input on the power back-up at mobile network access sites across the UK. They published an update on their work in February this year, confirming they are completing further analysis to determine the appropriate and proportionate measures that mobile operators should put in place.

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 encourage internet network providers to increase the coverage of full fibre broadband in (a) residential flats and (b) commercial properties.

Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

As set out in the Written Ministerial Statement on 21 July we will consult on policy measures later in the autumn to create a new right for leaseholders to request a gigabit broadband connection and a duty for freeholders to not unreasonably refuse the request. We are working closely with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) on the policy proposals and we will seek to legislate for these measures when parliamentary time allows.

Additionally, ‘commercial properties’ are included in Project Gigabit, the government’s programme to deliver gigabit-capable broadband to UK premises that are not included in suppliers' commercial plans. More than £2.4 billion of Project Gigabit contracts have already been signed to connect over one million more premises with gigabit-capable broadband.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of her Department's average response time for priority visa applications.

Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

UK Visas & Immigration (UKVI) are currently processing Priority Visa (PV) applications within published customer service standards for straightforward applications. Information on applicable routes and processing times is available at: Get a faster decision on your visa or settlement application: Applying for a faster decision - GOV.UK

It may however take longer to process an application if:

• the information in the application is not accurate or needs more consideration
• further evidence needs to be provided, for example evidence of funds
• supporting documents need to be verified
• an interview is required
• we need more information on personal circumstances (for example if there is a criminal conviction)

The UKVI Customer Service Standard performance can be found on the GOV.UK website, including PV applications: Migration transparency data - GOV.UK

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to reduce the average time taken to reach a decision on priority visa applications.

Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

UK Visas & Immigration (UKVI) are currently processing Priority Visa (PV) applications within published customer service standards for straightforward applications. Information on applicable routes and processing times is available at: Get a faster decision on your visa or settlement application: Applying for a faster decision - GOV.UK

It may however take longer to process an application if:

• the information in the application is not accurate or needs more consideration
• further evidence needs to be provided, for example evidence of funds
• supporting documents need to be verified
• an interview is required
• we need more information on personal circumstances (for example if there is a criminal conviction)

The UKVI Customer Service Standard performance can be found on the GOV.UK website, including PV applications: Migration transparency data - GOV.UK

Found: 4DR Tel: 0300 330 3000 E-Mail: heidi.alexander@dft.gov.uk Web site: www.gov.uk/dft Ruth Cadbury

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Ruth Cadbury (Chair); Dr Scott Arthur; Mrs Elsie Blundell; Jacob

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Ruth Cadbury (Chair); Dr Scott Arthur; Mrs Elsie Blundell; Jacob

Found: Ruth Cadbury MP Chair of the Transport Select Committee House of Commons London

Found: Current membership Ruth Cadbury (Labour; Brentford and Isleworth) (Chair) Steff Aquarone (Liberal Democrat

Found: Yours sincerely, Ruth Cadbury MP Chair, Transport Committee cc Rt Hon Heidi Alexander MP,

Found: E-Mail: keir.mather@dft.gov.uk Web site: www.gov.uk/dft Our Ref: 123456 Your Ref: 123456 Ruth Cadbury

Found: SW1P 4DR Tel: 0300 330 3000 E-Mail: lord.hendy@dft.gov.uk Web site: www.gov.uk/dft Ruth Cadbury

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Ruth Cadbury (Chair); Steff Aquarone; Dr Scott Arthur; Mrs Elsie

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Ruth Cadbury (Chair); Steff Aquarone; Dr Scott Arthur; Mrs Elsie

Found: mechanism that will boost SAF production by giving investors confidence to choose the UK.33 Ruth Cadbury

Submit Evidence (by 26 Nov 2025)

The Government has introduced the Railways Bill to Parliament to legislate for its commitment to unify network operations with infrastructure management under a single organisation – Great British Railways.