Asked by: Lord Soames of Fletching (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what progress her Department has made on the emergency services mobile communications programme.
Answered by Mike Penning
The purpose of the Emergency Services Mobile Communications Programme (ESMCP) is to deliver a mobile communications network for use principally by the Emergency Services - the Emergency Services Network (ESN). The ESN will deliver integrated critical voice and broadband data services to all three emergency services (3ES) and other users throughout England, Wales and Scotland. The aim is to provide a mobile communications network capable of providing the full coverage, resilience, security and public safety functionality required by the 3ES.
The procurement of the ESN is divided in 3 main procurement lots supplemented by a number of related projects. The contract for Lot 1 - Delivery Partner was awarded to Kellogg Brown and Root in August 2015 . The Home Office announced it’s intention to award contracts to Motorola - Lot 2 User Services and EE Lot 3 Mobile Services on 13th November 2015. The procurement process was halted following a legal challenge by Airwave Solutions Limited, the incumbent supplier, on 23 November 2015, the last day of the 10 day standstill period. The Home Office submitted an application to lift the automatic suspension of the procurement and had been working with Counsel preparing for a hearing in the High Court on 8th and 9th Dec.
On Saturday 5th December, the Home Office was informed that ASL would no longer contest the Home Office application to lift the suspension and that subject to the consent order being agreed by the Court today, the Home Office will seek to sign contracts with Motorola and EE on 8th December. This will then start the Mobilisation phase of the programme during which the network will be designed, built and tested over a 21 month period. The 3ES will start to use the network from late 2017 following extensive tests and trials.
Asked by: Lord Paddick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with the emergency services in Scotland about ensuring that the new communications network being procured under the emergency services mobile communications programme meets the coverage requirements of rural and island communities.
Answered by Lord Bates
The Emergency Services Mobile Communications Programme has had on-going discussions and workshops with the emergency services, including those in Scotland, about all aspects of the new network including coverage requirements in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland.
Asked by: Alun Cairns (Conservative - Vale of Glamorgan)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential benefits and risks of commercial mobile networks providing the emergency services communications network.
Answered by James Brokenshire
The potential benefits and risks have been considered in detail as part of the
Outline Business Case, which recommended this direction of travel and was
approved by the emergency services, lead departments and the devolved
governments of Wales and Scotland during March 2014. These risks and issues
will be updated as the Full Business Case is developed during the procurement
phase, which was launched on 14 April 14.
Asked by: Yasmin Qureshi (Labour - Bolton South East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions she has had with the Association of Chief Police Officers about proposals for the emergency services communications network to be operated on a commercially available network.
Answered by Damian Green
The recommendation to base the replacement communication system, for the
emergency services, on a commercially available network was agreed during
development of the Emergency Service Mobile Communications Programme Business
Case. This preferred direction of travel and alternative options, were briefed
to ACPO, and were written with the involvement, assurance and approval of the 3
emergency services, funding departments and the devolved governments of Wales
and Scotland.