Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, if his Department will take steps to help improve the quality of mobile phone signal in (a) Houghton Regis and (b) Bidwell West.

The Government is committed to improving mobile coverage across the UK. Ofcom’s most recent coverage data for the former constituency of South West Bedfordshire shows 98% 4G geographic coverage from all four mobile network operators and that 5G is available from at least one mobile network operator outside 93% of premises.

I am aware that Ofcom’s coverage data does not always reflect consumers’ experience of mobile networks at a local level. I understand that Ofcom has an ongoing programme of work to improve the accuracy of its reporting on mobile coverage and I am taking a close interest in the outcome of this work.

Alongside this, the Government intends to reform the planning system in a way that - amongst other things - will make it easier to build digital infrastructure.