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 Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government on the role of mobile digital infrastructure in supporting local economic growth, productivity and investment in planning policy in East Grinstead and Uckfield Constituency.

Digital infrastructure is a significant contributor to the UK economy, with the telecommunications services industry contributing around £37 billion in 2025 to the UK economy in “real” terms (1). It underpins growth across the wider economy, including by supporting the adoption of new and emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence in all parts of the country.

We regularly engage other government departments, including with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), to underline the importance of digital infrastructure in unlocking economic growth and the role of the planning system in supporting network rollout. As part of this work, we launched a call for evidence, led jointly by DSIT and MHCLG, to assess whether existing permitted development rights should be expanded to better support digital infrastructure deployment. The call for evidence closed on Thursday, 26 February and subject to the evidence received, the Government will determine next steps, which may include consulting on proposed measures and, where appropriate, bringing forward legislation.

The ‘National Planning Policy Framework: proposed reforms and other changes’ consultation, led by MHCLG, closed on 10 March. MHCLG is responsible for planning regulations, including the National Planning Policy Framework, and we are continuing to engage with MHCLG to ensure that the importance of digital infrastructure is appropriately reflected in national and local planning policy.