Asked by: Stuart Anderson (Conservative - South Shropshire)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether he plans to allocate additional funding towards projects that improve mobile connectivity in (a) rural and (b) hard to reach areas.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
We are working with telecoms companies to reduce poor mobile signal in rural areas. The Shared Rural Network is already delivering new 4G coverage to places where there is either limited or no 4G coverage at all. There are currently no plans to allocate additional funding beyond this.
Our ambition is for all populated areas to have higher-quality standalone 5G by 2030, and we are working with the industry to deliver this. We are driving the adoption of standalone 5G across key sectors through our £36m 5G Innovation Regions programme.
Asked by: Stuart Anderson (Conservative - South Shropshire)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether he has had recent discussions with the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on the use of artificial intelligence in farming and agriculture.
Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
AI is a general-purpose technology, with a wide array of applications. The government’s AI Opportunities Action Plan sets out how we will make the most of this transformative technology by laying the foundations for AI growth, driving adoption and building UK capability at the frontier.
The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology engages regularly across government departments, including the Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs, to understand how they are considering AI-related policy opportunities within their remit.
In addition, Innovate UK’s BridgeAI programme supports AI adoption across four sectors, of which agriculture is one.
Asked by: Stuart Anderson (Conservative - South Shropshire)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what recent steps he has taken to help improve broadband connectivity in rural areas.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government is committed to the rollout of fast, reliable broadband to all parts of the UK. The latest data from the independent website Thinkbroadband.com shows that over 85% of UK premises can now access a gigabit-capable connection.
To improve coverage further, we currently have over 30 Project Gigabit contracts in place to bring fast, reliable broadband to over 1 million more homes and businesses. In the last few months, the first premises have been connected as part of Project Gigabit contracts in areas including Norfolk, West Yorkshire and South Wiltshire, and the build has now started in earnest in other parts of the country too.
Asked by: Stuart Anderson (Conservative - South Shropshire)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps he is taking to reduce the number of rural areas with no wifi access.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
Presuming that the Member is referring to broadband access via Wi-Fi in the home or premises, rather than public Wi-Fi, Project Gigabit is delivering gigabit-capable broadband (accessible to consumers as Wi-Fi) to UK premises, with the goal for nationwide gigabit coverage by 2030, ensuring at least 99% of UK premises can access a gigabit-capable connection. For parts of the UK where this is not possible, the government is considering alternative ways to improve connectivity. These may include wireless or satellite provision.
Premises unable to access a decent broadband connection, may be able to get an improved connection through the broadband Universal Service Obligation (USO), which provides a right to request a decent broadband service of at least 10 Mbps download and 1 Mbps upload speed.
Asked by: Stuart Anderson (Conservative - South Shropshire)
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 help improve gigabit broadband connectivity in (a) South Shropshire constituency and (b) other rural areas.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
According to the independent website ThinkBroadband.com, 99% of premises in the South Shropshire constituency have access to superfast broadband speeds (>=30 Mbps) and 48% can access a gigabit-capable (>1000 Mbps) connection.
Remaining premises that are not expected to receive a gigabit-capable connection through suppliers’ commercial rollout are being considered for support through Project Gigabit. This includes approximately 3,400 premises in the constituency that are currently in scope of Project Gigabit contracts across Shropshire.
Overall, 36 Project Gigabit contracts, with a total value of over £1.9 billion, have been signed to date, to bring gigabit-capable broadband to over 1 million rural and hard-to-reach homes and businesses.
Asked by: Stuart Anderson (Conservative - South Shropshire)
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 with the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council to help increase agricultural productivity.
Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Through UK Research and Innovation (UKRI)’s Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), we fund and support interdisciplinary research linking agriculture, nutrition and health to food security, environmental sustainability, and biodiversity.
In 2023-24, BBSRC funded around £140 million on research to improve crop and livestock health and enhance food safety and nutrition, whilst reducing food loss and waste. BBSRC’s wider investments to increase agricultural productivity include the Roslin Institute’s research programmes which have contributed to an estimated ~£18.9bn GVA in 2019-20 through global productivity improvements in agriculture and aquaculture.