Asked by: Andrew Griffith (Conservative - Arundel and South Downs)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what plans her Department has to support the development of satellite based internet to help improve rural broadband connectivity in West Sussex.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Government is committed to delivering gigabit coverage to 99% of UK premises by 2032 and will continue to consider what it can do to further enable alternatives to fibre connections for premises located in very hard-to-reach areas.
The Government also works closely with Ofcom to ensure that spectrum management and licensing arrangements support the deployment of satellite broadband services, including through appropriate authorisation of satellite networks and earth stations.
The Government Alpha trials, which ended in March 2025, tested the capability of Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite technology to deliver high-speed, low-latency connectivity in remote locations. The Government also ran a pilot through the Rural Connectivity Accelerator which combined satellite and wireless technologies to support connectivity needs in remote areas.
The satellite market is developing at pace, with further entrants and significant changes to terminal equipment, speeds and the cost of service packages. We continue to monitor and support the development of this market.
Asked by: Steff Aquarone (Liberal Democrat - North Norfolk)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to Action 15 of the National Cancer Plan, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that patients in remote and rural areas with poor access to public transport are not disadvantaged in their ability to access specialist treatment.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The National Cancer Plan sets out how we will tackle unwarranted geographical variation head on and ensure that everyone has access to the best diagnostic and treatment services, no matter their postcode.
We recognise that rural and coastal areas have been struggling for too long, which is why this plan is increasing the number of training places for cancer consultants in rural and coastal areas, particularly in areas where there are a high number of vacancies. This will ensure quality improvement in the trusts with the greatest needs and provide all patients with access to specialised cancer doctors.
We will utilise data driven service planning tools, to support local systems to plan specialist care in a way that is accessible to everyone. It will take account of travel time and the impact on different groups who can experience disparities, such as older people, some ethnic groups, and those that live in rural and coastal areas.
Asked by: Jessica Toale (Labour - Bournemouth West)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department has taken to ensure that veterinary practices are subject to effective regulation.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
On 28 January, Defra launched its consultation on reform of the Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966 (VSA). At present, the VSA only allows voluntary accreditation of veterinary practices, which 70% of practices have agreed to. Our consultation proposes mandatory regulation of veterinary practices where each practice would need a licence to remain open. This proposal has been co-developed with key stakeholders, including the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS).
Additionally, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) are finalising a market investigation into veterinary services for household pets – subject to the CMA’s final report, veterinary practices will need to be more transparent on pricing, make pricelists available and ensure owners are aware of their rights to get written prescriptions.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to her Department's press release entitled Driving innovation – 38,000 jobs on the horizon as pilots of self-driving vehicles fast-tracked, published on 10 June 2025, whether the autonomous vehicle pilot schemes supported by her Department are intended to operate on a national basis, and what consideration has been given to the inclusion of towns, cities, and rural areas across all regions of the UK.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The government intends to launch the Automated Passenger Services (APS) permitting scheme in Spring 2026; this scheme applies to Great Britain.
The scheme will allow developers and potential operators to evaluate different areas for pilot deployments and test the commercial viability of this new mode of transportation. This includes in towns and rural areas where there may be a lack of transport provision.
Through this scheme, the government aims to create the right enabling framework for services to be able to deploy across a range of locations.
Asked by: Baroness McIntosh of Pickering (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what support they are giving to hospitality businesses in rural areas by improving access for young people to travel to work in pubs and hotels.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The Government knows how important affordable and reliable public transport services are in ensuring access to employment opportunities and keeping communities connected, including for hospitality businesses in rural areas. We know that bus services can often be the only means of accessing work and leisure opportunities in rural areas, where alternative modes of transport are limited.
We have introduced the Bus Services Act 2025 to give local leaders the tools they need and empower them to choose the model that works best for their communities, including tackling the unique challenges faced by rural areas.
In addition, the Government has confirmed over £3 billion from 2026/27 to support local leaders and bus operators to improve bus services over the spending review period. This includes multi-year allocations for local authorities under the Local Authority Bus Grant (LABG) totalling nearly £700 million per year. Funding allocated to local authorities to improve services can be used in whichever way they wish, to deliver better services for passengers, including expanding services and improving reliability. This could also include improving links between rural villages and nearby towns and enhance services that help young people travel to work in the hospitality sector.
The formula used to calculate LABG allocations for 2026/27 onwards includes consideration of the rurality of local areas for the first time, in addition to population size, levels of deprivation, and the extent of existing bus services.
The Government also intends to publish its integrated national transport strategy soon to set the long-term vision for domestic transport across England. It will focus on creating a transport network that works well for people, including those in rural areas.
Asked by: Claire Young (Liberal Democrat - Thornbury and Yate)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of recent trends in levels of regional disparity in Dental Delivery Rates between the South West and London; and what steps he will take to increase delivery in the South West.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Dental Statistics - England 2024/25, published by NHS Business Services Authority on 28 August 2025, is available at the following link:
https://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/statistical-collections/dental-england/dental-statistics-england-202425
This shows that 31% of adults were seen by a National Health Service dentist in the South West, in the previous 24 months up to June 2025, and that 52% of children were seen by an NHS dentist in the previous 12 months up to June 2025. By comparison, in London 39% of adults were seen by an NHS dentist in the previous 24 months up to June 2025, and 53% children were seen by an NHS dentist in the previous 12 months up to June 2025.
In 2024/25, there were 40.5 NHS dentists per 100,000 population in the South West, compared to 52.7 NHS dentists per 100,000 population in London.
We are aware of the challenges faced in accessing a dentist, particularly in more rural areas such as the South West.
We have asked ICBs to commission extra urgent dental appointments to make sure that patients with urgent dental needs can get the treatment they require. ICBs have been making extra appointments available since April 2025.
ICBs are recruiting dentists through the Golden Hello scheme. This recruitment incentive will see dentists receiving payments of £20,000 to work in those areas that need them most for three years.
We are committed to delivering fundamental reform of the dental contract before the end of this Parliament. As a first step, on 16 December we published the Government’s response to the public consultation on the quality and payment reforms to the NHS dental contract. The changes will be introduced from April 2026. These reforms will put patients with the greatest need first, incentivising urgent care and complex treatments. Further information is available from the following link:
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what data her department holds on the (a) quality and (b) availability of the Airwave network in (i) Shropshire and (ii) North Shropshire.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The cost to the taxpayers of Great Britain for Airwave is as follows:
2021/22 £293.66m
2022/23 £318.55m
2023/24 £197.01m
2024/25 £153.48m
As the financial accounts for 2025/26 have not been finalised or audited yet, we cannot provide expenditure for that period.
The costing information relates to England, Scotland and Wales Police Core only, as Home Office does not have visibility of Airwave costs borne directly by other Funding Sponsor Bodies.
As the Emergency Services Network is currently not operational, it is not possible to provide these costs.
Leveraging EE’s Commercial Network of circa 20,000 masts, the main build of ESN masts to provide mobile coverage across Great Britain is largely complete. Of the additional 1047 ESN masts due to be built, 987 are completed and
operationally live. Specifically, an additional 13 new sites have been built in Shropshire, with 1 of these sited in the constituency of North Shropshire.
Across Great Britain, this is already providing a benefit to the public by enabling over one thousand additional 999 calls every month to be made in areas where previously there was no coverage. Work continues at pace to provide network access in areas where localised coverage is needed; these include densely populated communities, as well as sports stadiums, and shopping centres.
ESMCP’s priority is to achieve the right balance between credible plans that ensures user confidence and the need to deliver ESN as quickly and safely as possible to enable the shutdown of Airwave.
The Home Office’s Emergency Services Mobile Communications Programme (ESMCP) is responsible for managing the Emergency Services Network (ESN). ESN is a critical communications system and will replace the current Airwave service used by the emergency services in Great Britain.
ESN is currently in the delivery phase, during which ESMCP will implement systems, platforms, processes, hardware and software to be ready and assured for deployment. Current delivery timelines are from January 2025 to 2027 with phased deployment planned to begin in 2027 to emergency services users. The target date for transition to be completed is 31 December 2029 after which Airwave will be safely shut down.
ESN is a capability which is still under development and as such it is not operational. The products and services under development have been tested at several public events such as Notting Hill Carnival, Glastonbury and London New Year’s Eve Celebrations to validate progress and inform the next stages of the programme.
This is not a data set held by the Home Office’s Emergency Services Mobile Communications Programme centrally. Such Data is owned and managed by individual forces across the three emergency services and the devolved nations of Scotland and Wales.
As in all Police force areas in Great Britain, the Home Office contract with Airwave provides for hand-portable coverage in built-up areas and vehicle coverage on all major and minor roads, including all rural areas.
Police forces can then elect to further enhance coverage in their areas if deemed necessary to meet their own specific operational needs. West Mercia Police have contracted further areas of hand-portable coverage from Airwave using this option.
Shropshire and North Shropshire are covered by West Mercia Police, together with Worcestershire and Herefordshire. Collectively, availability of the Airwave radio network across West Mercia throughout 2025 was strong.
The contractual target for Airwave network availability for all police forces is 99.74% each month. In 2025 monthly network availability across the 89 Airwave sites in West Mercia varied between 99.79% and 100%, with an overall mean average across the 12 months of 99.94%.
Each quarter a tri-party meeting is held between West Mercia Police, the Home Office, and Motorola to review the quality and availability of the Airwave network, along with any other Airwave related issues. During 2025 there were no major Airwave service issues raised by West Mercia Police.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of Airwave network coverage for emergency service delivery in rural areas.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
The cost to the taxpayers of Great Britain for Airwave is as follows:
2021/22 £293.66m
2022/23 £318.55m
2023/24 £197.01m
2024/25 £153.48m
As the financial accounts for 2025/26 have not been finalised or audited yet, we cannot provide expenditure for that period.
The costing information relates to England, Scotland and Wales Police Core only, as Home Office does not have visibility of Airwave costs borne directly by other Funding Sponsor Bodies.
As the Emergency Services Network is currently not operational, it is not possible to provide these costs.
Leveraging EE’s Commercial Network of circa 20,000 masts, the main build of ESN masts to provide mobile coverage across Great Britain is largely complete. Of the additional 1047 ESN masts due to be built, 987 are completed and
operationally live. Specifically, an additional 13 new sites have been built in Shropshire, with 1 of these sited in the constituency of North Shropshire.
Across Great Britain, this is already providing a benefit to the public by enabling over one thousand additional 999 calls every month to be made in areas where previously there was no coverage. Work continues at pace to provide network access in areas where localised coverage is needed; these include densely populated communities, as well as sports stadiums, and shopping centres.
ESMCP’s priority is to achieve the right balance between credible plans that ensures user confidence and the need to deliver ESN as quickly and safely as possible to enable the shutdown of Airwave.
The Home Office’s Emergency Services Mobile Communications Programme (ESMCP) is responsible for managing the Emergency Services Network (ESN). ESN is a critical communications system and will replace the current Airwave service used by the emergency services in Great Britain.
ESN is currently in the delivery phase, during which ESMCP will implement systems, platforms, processes, hardware and software to be ready and assured for deployment. Current delivery timelines are from January 2025 to 2027 with phased deployment planned to begin in 2027 to emergency services users. The target date for transition to be completed is 31 December 2029 after which Airwave will be safely shut down.
ESN is a capability which is still under development and as such it is not operational. The products and services under development have been tested at several public events such as Notting Hill Carnival, Glastonbury and London New Year’s Eve Celebrations to validate progress and inform the next stages of the programme.
This is not a data set held by the Home Office’s Emergency Services Mobile Communications Programme centrally. Such Data is owned and managed by individual forces across the three emergency services and the devolved nations of Scotland and Wales.
As in all Police force areas in Great Britain, the Home Office contract with Airwave provides for hand-portable coverage in built-up areas and vehicle coverage on all major and minor roads, including all rural areas.
Police forces can then elect to further enhance coverage in their areas if deemed necessary to meet their own specific operational needs. West Mercia Police have contracted further areas of hand-portable coverage from Airwave using this option.
Shropshire and North Shropshire are covered by West Mercia Police, together with Worcestershire and Herefordshire. Collectively, availability of the Airwave radio network across West Mercia throughout 2025 was strong.
The contractual target for Airwave network availability for all police forces is 99.74% each month. In 2025 monthly network availability across the 89 Airwave sites in West Mercia varied between 99.79% and 100%, with an overall mean average across the 12 months of 99.94%.
Each quarter a tri-party meeting is held between West Mercia Police, the Home Office, and Motorola to review the quality and availability of the Airwave network, along with any other Airwave related issues. During 2025 there were no major Airwave service issues raised by West Mercia Police.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what plans her Department has to (a) provide funding to help improve broadband provision for very hard-to-reach premises and (b) ensure that the Universal Service Obligation supports connectivity to rural communities.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Through Project Gigabit, we are delivering gigabit‑capable broadband to premises that are not included in suppliers’ commercial rollout plans, many of which are in rural areas.
Government is committed to delivering gigabit coverage to 99% of UK premises by 2032 and will continue to consider what it can do to further enable alternatives to fibre connections, for premises located in very hard-to-reach areas.
The market for ultrafast, alternative connections via technologies such as LEO satellite and 5G fixed wireless access is developing at pace. Government continues to monitor and support the development of this market, including encouraging spectrum releases and ground station deployments, and many remote premises are already adopting these services.
Government recognises the need to keep the parameters of the Broadband Universal Service Obligation (USO) under review to support connectivity in rural communities. We have hit the legislated trigger point to review the Broadband USO and are working with Ofcom to commence a review in due course.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent conversations her Department has held with animal charities regarding veterinary bills.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Proposed reforms to the VSA support the result of the Competition and Markets Authority’s (CMA’s) market investigation into veterinary services for household pets. The CMA has provisionally recommended making fees more transparent, thus helping owners to make more informed choices on of the type of veterinary care they value.
Defra has engaged closely with several sector stakeholders, including representatives from the charity sector, in relation to our consultation on proposed reforms of the Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966. Defra shall continue to involve animal charities in this work. Proposed reforms will allow veterinary nurses to independently carry out a greater range of work within their skillset. Independently, this will aid animal charities by giving them more choice over who can provide treatment.