Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether the density of population in Oxfordshire compared to the North York Moors allows residents in Oxfordshire to have better mobile telephone signal coverage and broadband provision; and if he will make a statement.

This Government is committed the delivery of superfast broadband throughout the UK. We have allocated funding to projects areas to deliver superfast broadband to 95% of UK premises, for which Oxfordshire was allocated £6.21m and North Yorkshire was allocated £25.16m from central sources. Oxfordshire is anticipated to achieve 94% superfast broadband coverage and North Yorkshire, 92% superfast broadband coverage. In addition, the projects areas will benefit from delivery of the universal standard broadband and the Government is currently piloting alternative solutions with the aim of extending superfast coverage beyond 95%.

The UK Government also recognises the value of mobile phone coverage in rural areas. Improving coverage is part of the Government’s wider digital inclusion agenda and investment in infrastructure for the long term economic plan. The Government’s Mobile Infrastructure Project is providing up to £150 million to improve mobile coverage in areas where there is currently no coverage from any of the MNOs and where it has not proved economical for the private sector to build infrastructure or extend their networks.