Asked by: Stephanie Peacock (Labour - Barnsley East)
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 her Department's progress towards the 2025 target for the public switched telephone network switch-over; and what steps her Department is taking to ensure that this target is reached.
Answered by John Whittingdale
The Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) is a privately-owned telecommunications network. Communications providers are in the process of upgrading the old PSTN to new Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) technology. Consumers can expect to be upgraded by 2025. The migration is industry-led and does not result from any government decision or form part of any government programme.
Ofcom is responsible for ensuring telecoms providers adhere to their regulatory obligations throughout the migration process, such as ensuring uninterrupted access to the emergency services and protecting vulnerable consumers. Ofcom has published guidance which states that providers must take steps to identify and protect at-risk consumers who are dependent on their landline. Providers have a range of solutions to ensure vulnerable consumers receive additional support. These options include, among others, free battery back-up units to engineer supported installations or hybrid landline phones.
We are working together with Ofcom to ensure customers receive appropriate levels of communication and vulnerable consumers are protected. Ofcom requires that providers must engage in effective communications. In January 2023, we published a webpage on GOV.UK to provide information to consumers about the PSTN migration.
As this is an industry-led migration, Communications Providers will contact their customers with information ahead of their line being upgraded. The exact migration process will depend on the provider and the type of equipment the customer has at their premises.
The Department meets regularly with Communications Providers to discuss the progress they have made in migrating their customers, and to ensure they have adequate plans in place to inform their customers and protect vulnerable consumers. This includes, but is not limited to, quarterly progress meetings with individual providers, quarterly meetings with Communications Providers and all government departments, and quarterly meetings with Ofcom. The Minister for Media, Data and Digital Infrastructure also convened a roundtable with the largest providers in January 2023 to discuss their communications plans.
Asked by: Stephanie Peacock (Labour - Barnsley East)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure that vulnerable customers are not negatively impacted by the public switched telephone network switch off.
Answered by John Whittingdale
The Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) is a privately-owned telecommunications network. Communications providers are in the process of upgrading the old PSTN to new Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) technology. Consumers can expect to be upgraded by 2025. The migration is industry-led and does not result from any government decision or form part of any government programme.
Ofcom is responsible for ensuring telecoms providers adhere to their regulatory obligations throughout the migration process, such as ensuring uninterrupted access to the emergency services and protecting vulnerable consumers. Ofcom has published guidance which states that providers must take steps to identify and protect at-risk consumers who are dependent on their landline. Providers have a range of solutions to ensure vulnerable consumers receive additional support. These options include, among others, free battery back-up units to engineer supported installations or hybrid landline phones.
We are working together with Ofcom to ensure customers receive appropriate levels of communication and vulnerable consumers are protected. Ofcom requires that providers must engage in effective communications. In January 2023, we published a webpage on GOV.UK to provide information to consumers about the PSTN migration.
As this is an industry-led migration, Communications Providers will contact their customers with information ahead of their line being upgraded. The exact migration process will depend on the provider and the type of equipment the customer has at their premises.
The Department meets regularly with Communications Providers to discuss the progress they have made in migrating their customers, and to ensure they have adequate plans in place to inform their customers and protect vulnerable consumers. This includes, but is not limited to, quarterly progress meetings with individual providers, quarterly meetings with Communications Providers and all government departments, and quarterly meetings with Ofcom. The Minister for Media, Data and Digital Infrastructure also convened a roundtable with the largest providers in January 2023 to discuss their communications plans.
Asked by: Stephanie Peacock (Labour - Barnsley East)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether her Department plan to publicise the public switched telephone network switch off.
Answered by John Whittingdale
The Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) is a privately-owned telecommunications network. Communications providers are in the process of upgrading the old PSTN to new Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) technology. Consumers can expect to be upgraded by 2025. The migration is industry-led and does not result from any government decision or form part of any government programme.
Ofcom is responsible for ensuring telecoms providers adhere to their regulatory obligations throughout the migration process, such as ensuring uninterrupted access to the emergency services and protecting vulnerable consumers. Ofcom has published guidance which states that providers must take steps to identify and protect at-risk consumers who are dependent on their landline. Providers have a range of solutions to ensure vulnerable consumers receive additional support. These options include, among others, free battery back-up units to engineer supported installations or hybrid landline phones.
We are working together with Ofcom to ensure customers receive appropriate levels of communication and vulnerable consumers are protected. Ofcom requires that providers must engage in effective communications. In January 2023, we published a webpage on GOV.UK to provide information to consumers about the PSTN migration.
As this is an industry-led migration, Communications Providers will contact their customers with information ahead of their line being upgraded. The exact migration process will depend on the provider and the type of equipment the customer has at their premises.
The Department meets regularly with Communications Providers to discuss the progress they have made in migrating their customers, and to ensure they have adequate plans in place to inform their customers and protect vulnerable consumers. This includes, but is not limited to, quarterly progress meetings with individual providers, quarterly meetings with Communications Providers and all government departments, and quarterly meetings with Ofcom. The Minister for Media, Data and Digital Infrastructure also convened a roundtable with the largest providers in January 2023 to discuss their communications plans.
Asked by: Stephanie Peacock (Labour - Barnsley East)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what discussions her Department has had with relevant industry stakeholders on the public switched telephone network switch off.
Answered by John Whittingdale
The Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) is a privately-owned telecommunications network. Communications providers are in the process of upgrading the old PSTN to new Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) technology. Consumers can expect to be upgraded by 2025. The migration is industry-led and does not result from any government decision or form part of any government programme.
Ofcom is responsible for ensuring telecoms providers adhere to their regulatory obligations throughout the migration process, such as ensuring uninterrupted access to the emergency services and protecting vulnerable consumers. Ofcom has published guidance which states that providers must take steps to identify and protect at-risk consumers who are dependent on their landline. Providers have a range of solutions to ensure vulnerable consumers receive additional support. These options include, among others, free battery back-up units to engineer supported installations or hybrid landline phones.
We are working together with Ofcom to ensure customers receive appropriate levels of communication and vulnerable consumers are protected. Ofcom requires that providers must engage in effective communications. In January 2023, we published a webpage on GOV.UK to provide information to consumers about the PSTN migration.
As this is an industry-led migration, Communications Providers will contact their customers with information ahead of their line being upgraded. The exact migration process will depend on the provider and the type of equipment the customer has at their premises.
The Department meets regularly with Communications Providers to discuss the progress they have made in migrating their customers, and to ensure they have adequate plans in place to inform their customers and protect vulnerable consumers. This includes, but is not limited to, quarterly progress meetings with individual providers, quarterly meetings with Communications Providers and all government departments, and quarterly meetings with Ofcom. The Minister for Media, Data and Digital Infrastructure also convened a roundtable with the largest providers in January 2023 to discuss their communications plans.
Asked by: Drew Hendry (Scottish National Party - Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he is taking steps to prevent the fraudulent copying of Government web pages to charge users for services.
Answered by Alex Burghart - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
Any misuse of GOV.UK’s brand elements (such as the logo, crown, and Government Digital Service (GDS) Transport typeface) is illegal, and these elements are protected by crown-copyright.
Digital, cyber security and brand protection teams across government work closely with the National Cyber Security Centre to detect and respond to fraudulent sites posing as government, and in doing so to protect the UK public from scams.
A range of monitoring tools and intelligence sources are used to identify these scams, and members of the public are encouraged to report these (e.g., directly to NCSC, or to the relevant government department). Government continues to improve these capabilities, as it will always remain challenging to reliably and rapidly detect all fraudulent sites.
Once detected, multiple techniques can be used to remove these sites from the Internet or otherwise reduce their impact on the public. This includes, but is not limited to, coordinating with industry partners to take down the web domain or remove the underlying systems hosting the site from the Internet, taking direct legal action, or escalating to law enforcement.
Asked by: Luke Evans (Conservative - Bosworth)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps the Government is taking to ensure wider public awareness of broadband social tariffs.
Answered by John Whittingdale
Ofcom’s latest Affordability Report (April 2023) showed 47% of eligible households were aware of social tariffs, up from 16% in January 2022. While we recognise the progress, more is needed to ensure households know about the support available.
In November, the Government - as part of Help for Households - launched a UK-wide multichannel campaign to publicise social tariffs among eligible households. The campaign partnered with a range of stakeholders - including other government departments, job centres, libraries, local authorities, consumer groups and internet service providers - to maximise the reach of our messaging.
The Government has also provided information directly to libraries, the regional school networks across the UK and via jobcentre work coaches to enable them to provide information directly to those on Universal Credit. In March, the Minister for Digital Infrastructure wrote to all members of the House of Commons to ask them to raise awareness in their constituencies.
We continue to work closely with providers and have called on the industry to do more to promote social tariffs to their eligible customers.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department is taking steps to help improve internet connectivity on Tristan da Cunha.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The FCDO provides funding to support Tristan da Cunha through Official Development Assistance, which in 2022-23 was valued at £1.5m. In addition, Tristan da Cunha benefits from funding from various programmes led by the FCDO, Defra and other UK Government departments. Internet access on Tristan da Cunha is provided through an FCDO satellite link and the island's communication needs are kept under regular review.
Tristan da Cunha are currently taking steps to review the feasibility of a dedicated supply vessel. This work is considering vessel types and funding options. It is supported by the UK Government's Centre for Environment, Fisheries, and Aquaculture Science (Cefas) and their project partner Finance Earth.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department is taking steps to help improve access to Tristan da Cunha.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The FCDO provides funding to support Tristan da Cunha through Official Development Assistance, which in 2022-23 was valued at £1.5m. In addition, Tristan da Cunha benefits from funding from various programmes led by the FCDO, Defra and other UK Government departments. Internet access on Tristan da Cunha is provided through an FCDO satellite link and the island's communication needs are kept under regular review.
Tristan da Cunha are currently taking steps to review the feasibility of a dedicated supply vessel. This work is considering vessel types and funding options. It is supported by the UK Government's Centre for Environment, Fisheries, and Aquaculture Science (Cefas) and their project partner Finance Earth.
Asked by: Mark Pritchard (Conservative - The Wrekin)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether his Department is taking steps to help ensure that people without access to online and mobile banking can make payments for services provided by Government (a) Departments and (b) agencies.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
Government has committed to ensuring that assistance is always available for those who need it. All Government departments and agencies are required to be compliant with HMG’s ‘Service Standard’ available at this link: https://www.gov.uk/service-manual/service-standard. Specifically, point 5 of the Service Standard requires that government services are accessible to all users, including disabled people, people with other legally protected characteristics, people who do not have access to the internet and those who lack the skills or confidence to use the internet. This includes being accessible to those without a mobile device. Compliance to this standard is measured through regular Service Assessments.
In addition, the Government Digital Service in the Cabinet Office runs GOV.UK Pay - a free service available to public sector organisations, enabling them to take card payments. The service includes a mail order and over the phone payment option.
Asked by: Stephanie Peacock (Labour - Barnsley East)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to promote social tariffs offline.
Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
In November, the DCMS - as part of Help for Households - launched a UK-wide campaign to boost awareness of social tariffs among eligible households.
The campaign uses multiple channels to reach individuals; and partners with a range of stakeholders - including other Government departments (such as DWP), job centres, libraries, local authorities, charities, consumer groups and internet service providers - to maximise the reach of our messaging. Alongside dedicated digital resources, posters and leaflets have been created, which can be distributed by partners directly to those who may be eligible. We are also using print media, such as ‘Quids In!’, a magazine targeted at low-income households.
On 29 November, I convened a roundtable with the UK’s major broadband and mobile providers, as-well-as consumer groups to examine the barriers to take up of social tariffs and the role Government, the telecoms sector, charities and consumer groups can play to ensure eligible households are aware of the support available. We will continue to explore further options for collaboration.