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1701918

registered interest
date	17/04/2024
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	Broadband: North Shropshire
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what recent estimate she has made of when gigabit broadband coverage will be available to every household in North Shropshire constituency.
tabling member constituency	North Shropshire
tabling member printed	Helen Morgan
uin	22444
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/04/2024 answer text <p>According to the independent website ThinkBroadband.com, almost 68% of premises in the North Shropshire constituency are able to access a gigabit-capable connection, up from just 3% in December 2019.</p><p> </p><p>To extend this coverage further, last year we signed a Project Gigabit contract with the supplier Freedom Fibre to deliver gigabit-capable connectivity to over 12,000 hard-to-reach premises in the North Shropshire region by the end of 2026, of which approximately 9,000 of these premises are in the North Shropshire constituency. There will also be further commercial rollout in the area.</p><p> </p><p>While the majority of premises will be covered by commercial activity or Project Gigabit, for those parts of the UK where this is not possible, the government is considering alternative ways to improve connectivity. Last year, government launched a consultation setting out our proposed policy approach to connecting Very Hard to Reach (VHTR) UK premises, with a response due to be published later this year. The response will set out further policy proposals for VHTR areas not already covered by commercial activity or existing government schemes.</p> answering member constituency Hornchurch and Upminster answering member printed Julia Lopez grouped question UIN 22445 question first answered 22/04/2024 09:53:20 answering member 4647 label Biography information for Julia Lopez
tabling member	4934 label Biography information for Helen Morgan

1701919

registered interest
date	17/04/2024
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	Broadband: North Shropshire
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, if she will make an estimate of the number of households that have access to gigabit broadband in North Shropshire constituency.
tabling member constituency	North Shropshire
tabling member printed	Helen Morgan
uin	22445
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/04/2024 answer text <p>According to the independent website ThinkBroadband.com, almost 68% of premises in the North Shropshire constituency are able to access a gigabit-capable connection, up from just 3% in December 2019.</p><p> </p><p>To extend this coverage further, last year we signed a Project Gigabit contract with the supplier Freedom Fibre to deliver gigabit-capable connectivity to over 12,000 hard-to-reach premises in the North Shropshire region by the end of 2026, of which approximately 9,000 of these premises are in the North Shropshire constituency. There will also be further commercial rollout in the area.</p><p> </p><p>While the majority of premises will be covered by commercial activity or Project Gigabit, for those parts of the UK where this is not possible, the government is considering alternative ways to improve connectivity. Last year, government launched a consultation setting out our proposed policy approach to connecting Very Hard to Reach (VHTR) UK premises, with a response due to be published later this year. The response will set out further policy proposals for VHTR areas not already covered by commercial activity or existing government schemes.</p> answering member constituency Hornchurch and Upminster answering member printed Julia Lopez grouped question UIN 22444 question first answered 22/04/2024 09:53:20 answering member 4647 label Biography information for Julia Lopez
tabling member	4934 label Biography information for Helen Morgan

1701920

registered interest
date	17/04/2024
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	Voice over Internet Protocol
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether officials in her Department have had discussions with Ofcom on the potential merits of increasing the minimum requirement for the battery life of an emergency back-up line provided to properties switched to the digital phone network.
tabling member constituency	North Shropshire
tabling member printed	Helen Morgan
uin	22446
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/04/2024 answer text <p>Government is committed to improving protections for those who depend on their landline for connectivity. All signatories to the PSTN charter, agreed in December 2023, have committed to working to provide solutions that go beyond the Ofcom minimum guidance. Ofcom guidance states that communications providers should have at least one solution that enables access to emergency organisations, for a minimum of one hour in the event of a power outage. Communication Providers are required to meet standards and specifications set out in the General Conditions of Entitlement, under obligations imposed by the Communications Act 2003, to ensure continuity of service.</p><p> </p><p>Last year, DSIT asked Ofcom to consider how the general resilience of telecommunications services in the event of prolonged power outages served the needs of customers. In response, Ofcom launched a consultation on the resilience of the sector which included a separate call for input on power backup for mobile radio access networks that closed on 1 March. Ofcom is currently considering the responses.</p> answering member constituency Hornchurch and Upminster answering member printed Julia Lopez question first answered 22/04/2024 09:58:05 answering member 4647 label Biography information for Julia Lopez
tabling member	4934 label Biography information for Helen Morgan

1701921

registered interest
date	17/04/2024
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	Digital Technology: Local Government
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether her Department plans to provide funding to support local authority digital champions.
tabling member constituency	North Shropshire
tabling member printed	Helen Morgan
uin	22447
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/04/2024 answer text <p>The Government has published information on the role of Digital Champions within the Digital Connectivity Portal. The Portal is an extensive online resource providing best practice guidance helping local authorities to facilitate digital infrastructure deployment.</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/guidance/digital-strategy-and-leadership#digital-champion" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/guidance/digital-strategy-and-leadership#digital-champion</a></p><p> </p><p>Whilst there are currently no plans for the Government to fund local authority digital champions we believe they play a key role in advancing the digital connectivity agenda - and help local communities to realise the benefits advanced connectivity can bring.</p><p> </p><p>The Government has also awarded over £36 million to local and regional authorities as part of its 5G Innovation Regions programme. The funding will support regions to create the right conditions to accelerate the adoption of 5G and other advanced wireless connectivity in key local sectors and attract investment in advanced wireless infrastructure.</p> answering member constituency Hornchurch and Upminster answering member printed Julia Lopez question first answered 22/04/2024 10:01:41 answering member 4647 label Biography information for Julia Lopez
tabling member	4934 label Biography information for Helen Morgan

1701922

registered interest
date	17/04/2024
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	Telecommunications: Consumers
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to her Department's press release entitled Further agreement with telecoms firms to protect vulnerable customers, published on 11 March 2024, whether she has had recent discussions with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on the definition of vulnerable.
tabling member constituency	North Shropshire
tabling member printed	Helen Morgan
uin	22448
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/04/2024 answer text <p>DSIT is working closely with the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) regarding the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) migration.</p><p> </p><p>On 29 January, DSIT Ministers met with Ministerial counterparts from DHSC and the, Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) to discuss Departmental responsibilities during the migration. The Departments have collectively agreed a Telecare National Action Plan (TNAP) outlining each Department’s role during the migration to ensure that telecare users and other vulnerable customers are protected. As set out in this action plan, DSIT has agreed to lead on defining vulnerability with support from DHSC and DLUHC.</p><p> </p><p>For more information regarding the work to define vulnerability, I refer the Hon Member to the answers given to Question UIN 21918 and 21919 on 19<sup>th</sup> April 2024.</p> answering member constituency Hornchurch and Upminster answering member printed Julia Lopez question first answered 22/04/2024 10:03:55 answering member 4647 label Biography information for Julia Lopez
tabling member	4934 label Biography information for Helen Morgan

1701466

registered interest
date	16/04/2024
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Dairy Farming: Finance
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to Table 1.2 of his Department's national statistics entitled Farm business income in England 2023/24 forecast, updated on 14 March 2024, whether his Department plans to provide financial support to dairy farmers in the context that their average farm business income in real terms is forecast to decrease by the greatest percentage among all farm types from financial year 2022-23 to financial year 2023-24.
tabling member constituency	North Shropshire
tabling member printed	Helen Morgan
uin	22188
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/04/2024 answer text <p>The UK has a resilient and dynamic dairy sector which operates in an open market where the value of dairy commodities, including farmgate milk price, is established by those in the supply chain. The average Farm Business Income is at a 20-year high in 2022/23 following a previous 20-year high in 2021/22. The forecast decrease for 2023/24 would bring average Farm Business Income for dairy farm businesses back closer to historic trends. Through a range of government schemes, there is support for investment in dairy businesses through the Sustainable Farming Incentive, the animal health and welfare pathway and various productivity and innovation grants.</p><p> </p><p>We have also recently introduced new legislation, The Fair Dealing Obligations (Milk) Regulations 2024, which creates new rules for dairy contracts covering issues such as pricing provisions, unilateral changes to contracts and notice periods. Ensuring fairer contracts will provide greater certainty for farmers and help the dairy industry thrive into the future.</p> answering member constituency Sherwood answering member printed Sir Mark Spencer question first answered 23/04/2024 17:26:16 answering member 4055 label Biography information for Sir Mark Spencer
tabling member	4934 label Biography information for Helen Morgan

1701467

registered interest
date	16/04/2024
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Farmers: Finance
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to provide financial assistance to farmers in debt.
tabling member constituency	North Shropshire
tabling member printed	Helen Morgan
uin	22189
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/05/2024 answer text <p>The recent ‘Balance Sheet Analysis’ publication highlights that average liquidity in the sector has been consistently improving over the latest five years of data and reached a ten-year high in the latest year of data (2022/23). This suggests that levels of debt in the farming sector are lower than average.</p><p> </p><p>We support farmers in a range of ways to ensure they have profitable and sustainable businesses. This includes free business advice as well as access to a wide range of Government funding to improve business resilience, productivity and environmental performance.</p> answering member constituency Sherwood answering member printed Sir Mark Spencer question first answered 09/05/2024 13:29:22 answering member 4055 label Biography information for Sir Mark Spencer
tabling member	4934 label Biography information for Helen Morgan

1701468

registered interest
date	16/04/2024
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Farmers: Finance
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that financing is available to farmers who wish to invest in sustainable energy projects.
tabling member constituency	North Shropshire
tabling member printed	Helen Morgan
uin	22190
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/05/2024 answer text <p>The Farming Investment Fund has supported renewable energy projects through its grants for rooftop solar. In our recent Improving Farm Productivity grant, farmers and horticultural businesses in England were able to apply for capital grants towards solar equipment to increase energy resilience and the take-up of renewable energy generation on their farms. Grants of between £15,000 and £100,000 were available at an intervention rate of 25%. This scheme has now closed for new applications. We will continue to consider how to support farmers to invest in renewable energy projects in the future.</p> answering member constituency Sherwood answering member printed Sir Mark Spencer question first answered 03/05/2024 10:23:22 answering member 4055 label Biography information for Sir Mark Spencer
tabling member	4934 label Biography information for Helen Morgan

1701469

registered interest
date	16/04/2024
answering body	Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
answering dept id	211
answering dept short name	Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
answering dept sort name	Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
hansard heading	Leisure and Motor Sports: Land Use
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he plans to review legislation that allows landowners to use their farmland for (a) motocross and (b) other non-agricultural activities.
tabling member constituency	North Shropshire
tabling member printed	Helen Morgan
uin	22191
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/04/2024 answer text <p>Under nationally set permitted development rights, land may be used for any purpose and moveable structures be set up on the land for up to 28 days per calendar year, of which up to 14 days can be used for motor car and motorcycle racing.</p><p>Where it is considered necessary to protect the local amenity or wellbeing of an area the local planning authority can consult the local community on removing a permitted development right by making an Article 4 direction.</p> answering member constituency North East Derbyshire answering member printed Lee Rowley grouped question UIN 22192 question first answered 24/04/2024 15:07:36 answering member 4652 label Biography information for Lee Rowley
tabling member	4934 label Biography information for Helen Morgan

1701470

registered interest
date	16/04/2024
answering body	Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
answering dept id	211
answering dept short name	Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
answering dept sort name	Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
hansard heading	Motor Sports
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of legislation on the proximity of motocross events to residential areas.
tabling member constituency	North Shropshire
tabling member printed	Helen Morgan
uin	22192
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/04/2024 answer text <p>Under nationally set permitted development rights, land may be used for any purpose and moveable structures be set up on the land for up to 28 days per calendar year, of which up to 14 days can be used for motor car and motorcycle racing.</p><p>Where it is considered necessary to protect the local amenity or wellbeing of an area the local planning authority can consult the local community on removing a permitted development right by making an Article 4 direction.</p> answering member constituency North East Derbyshire answering member printed Lee Rowley grouped question UIN 22191 question first answered 24/04/2024 15:07:36 answering member 4652 label Biography information for Lee Rowley
tabling member	4934 label Biography information for Helen Morgan