Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps he has taken under the Shared Rural Network programme to map investment in the hardest-to-reach areas.

Ofcom reporting indicates areas of poor mobile coverage across the UK. The Government has worked closely with the mobile network operators to identify locations where upgrading or building new masts can improve connectivity in rural areas where there is no or limited coverage, including utilising the Emergency Service Network (ESN) where feasible. The location of masts is also determined according to how quickly they can be delivered and the public benefit they provide.