Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the phasing out of landlines in (a) Yeovil constituency and (b) Somerset on residents.

Landlines are not being phased out. The analogue technology underpinning the landline network, the Public Switched Telephone Network, is being upgraded to digital Voice over Internet Protocol, which is more reliable and resilient. We want to ensure that all customers, including those in Yeovil and Somerset, are migrated safely.

A voluntary charter, agreed in December 2023, committed communications providers to protecting vulnerable consumers during the migration. The Government secured new safeguards from providers in November 2024, as set out in the non-voluntary migrations checklist.