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1701321

registered interest
date	16/04/2024
answering body	Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
answering dept id	216
answering dept short name	Science, Innovation and Technology
answering dept sort name	Science, Innovation and Technology
hansard heading	Public Telephones: Rural Areas
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether she has had recent discussions with (a) BT and (b) Ofcom on the adequacy of provision of public phone boxes in rural areas.
tabling member constituency	South Holland and The Deepings
tabling member printed	Sir John Hayes
uin	21875
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/04/2024 answer text <p>Ofcom, the UK’s independent telecommunications regulator, is responsible for the regulation of public call boxes (PCBs). Under the telephony universal service obligation (USO), providers such as BT, are required to provide telephony services throughout the UK, including PCBs. BT is required to ensure the adequate provision, repair and maintenance of PCBs. Ofcom’s rules and regulations regarding PCBs can be found on Ofcom’s website.</p><p> </p><p>As Ofcom is responsible for monitoring this requirement of telecoms companies, DSIT has not had recent discussions on this matter.</p> answering member constituency Hornchurch and Upminster answering member printed Julia Lopez question first answered 24/04/2024 09:10:48 answering member 4647 label Biography information for Julia Lopez
tabling member	350 label Biography information for Sir John Hayes

1379711

registered interest
date	17/11/2021
answering body	Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept id	10
answering dept short name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept sort name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
hansard heading	Public Telephones: Rural Areas
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the importance of public telephone boxes in rural areas; and what steps they will take to ensure they are maintained in situ in areas with poor mobile signal.
tabling member printed	Baroness McIntosh of Pickering
uin	HL4147
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/12/2021 answer text <p>The Government recognises the importance of public telephone boxes to people across the UK. The telephony Universal Service Order requires that certain providers maintain telephony services across the UK, including access to public telephone boxes.</p><p>It is for Ofcom to designate the providers subject to this Order and set rules for public telephone boxes, including the rules regarding their removal. Ofcom estimates that there are 1500 public telephone boxes in areas with poor mobile coverage, many of which will be rural.</p><p>Ofcom has recently announced a consultation designed to strengthen these rules. Ofcom’s proposals include a criterion that protects public telephone boxes where they do not have coverage from all four mobile network providers.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay question first answered 01/12/2021 11:39:08 answering member 4728 label Biography information for Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay
tabling member	384 label Biography information for Baroness McIntosh of Pickering

605837

registered interest
date	19/10/2016
answering body	Department for Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept id	10
answering dept short name	Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept sort name	Culture, Media and Sport
hansard heading	Public Telephones: Rural Areas
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions her Department has had with BT on the removal of phoneboxes in rural areas; and what assessment has been made of the safety implications for people in areas with inadequate mobile phone coverage.
tabling member constituency	Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey
tabling member printed	Drew Hendry
uin	49324
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/10/2016 answer text <p>This is a matter for local authorities to take based on the value of retaining a phone box to the local community.</p><p> </p><p>We recognise the importance of public call boxes as a means of calling the emergency services. Ofcom requires that there is a period of consultation before a public call box is removed and that one of the factors to be considered by the relevant public body is the potential importance of the call box to contact the emergency services.</p><p> </p><p>Improving mobile connectivity across the UK, including in rural and hard to reach areas is a priority for the Government, and the December 2014 agreement with industry guarantees that each mobile network operator will provide voice and SMS text coverage to 90% of the UK's landmass by end-2017. Additionally, Telefonica has a licence obligation to deliver indoor 4G coverage to 98% of UK premises over the same period. Taken together these obligations will cut complete not spots by two thirds, resulting in 98% of the UK landmass with mobile coverage.</p><p> </p><p>The Code of Practice for the Public Emergency Call Service requires that a caller from a mobile phone is able to roam onto another mobile network to make an emergency call if they have no signal from their own provider. The improvements in mobile connectivity arising from the December 2014 agreement will support this.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency West Suffolk answering member printed Matt Hancock question first answered 24/10/2016 09:23:48 answering member 4070 label Biography information for Matt Hancock
tabling member	4467 label Biography information for Drew Hendry