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 economic impact of an increase in notifications to mobile telecommunications companies under the Notice to Quit regime.

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

The Electronic Communications Code allows for site providers to serve Notices to Quit in specific limited circumstances, including if land is to be redeveloped and is no longer suitable to host telecommunications apparatus, or needs to be moved.

We recognise that mobile operators have raised concerns about the impact of Notices to Quit on the deployment of mobile infrastructure, particularly in more urban areas, as operators search for alternative sites to host equipment. To minimise the impact of this on mobile coverage and capacity, in its recent Call for Evidence on reforms to planning legislation, the government proposed to extend the period by which equipment can be deployed on an emergency basis without planning permission from 18 months to 36 months. This will ensure operators can continue to provide connectivity to local areas without planning permission while they identify new permanent sites. We are considering the responses to this Call for Evidence and will set out the next steps in due course.

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 potential merits of reforming the Notice to Quit regime to reduce disruption to mobile data coverage and capacity.

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

The Electronic Communications Code allows for site providers to serve Notices to Quit in specific limited circumstances, including if land is to be redeveloped and is no longer suitable to host telecommunications apparatus, or needs to be moved.

We recognise that mobile operators have raised concerns about the impact of Notices to Quit on the deployment of mobile infrastructure, particularly in more urban areas, as operators search for alternative sites to host equipment. To minimise the impact of this on mobile coverage and capacity, in its recent Call for Evidence on reforms to planning legislation, the government proposed to extend the period by which equipment can be deployed on an emergency basis without planning permission from 18 months to 36 months. This will ensure operators can continue to provide connectivity to local areas without planning permission while they identify new permanent sites. We are considering the responses to this Call for Evidence and will set out the next steps in due course.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many members of the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel have been allocated to support the drafting of (a) primary and (b) secondary legislation in pursuit of planning reforms, in (i) total headcount and (ii) full-time equivalent.

Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Within the Office of Parliamentary Counsel (OPC) and Ministry for Housing Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) legal teams there are lawyers working on MHCLG related business, alongside members in the Government Legal Department. There is no group of Parliamentary Counsel within OPC that is assigned to work exclusively on planning reform for MHCLG.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he has considered the report published by TYI on 18 March 2026, titled ‘Small Changes, Big Rewards: Ensuring planning connects with mobile infrastructure ambitions’.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

On December 18 2025, my Department, in conjunction with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, launched a joint Call for Evidence on reforming planning rules to accelerate deployment of digital infrastructure. This Call for Evidence closed on 26 February 2026 and can be found on gov.uk here.

My officials are aware of the report in question, and it will be taken into account as part of the wider body of evidence submitted to the Call for Evidence.

Found: Hatfield) Mr Gagan Mohindra (Conservative; South West Hertfordshire) Sarah Smith (Labour; Hyndburn) Sean Woodcock

Found: Hatfield)Mr Gagan Mohindra (Conservative; South West Hertfordshire) Sarah Smith (Labour; Hyndburn) Sean Woodcock

Found: 42 of 57 (73.7%) Sarah Smith (Labour, Hyndburn) (added 21 Oct 2024) 45 of 57 (78.9%) Sean Woodcock

Found: Representations from Members The following Member made oral representations: Sean Woodcock: How to

Found: Hatfield) Mr Gagan Mohindra (Conservative; South West Hertfordshire) Sarah Smith (Labour; Hyndburn) Sean Woodcock