Andrew George MP: written questions
183 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Mobile Broadband: InfrastructureDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 26 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 108168More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether her Department plans to undertake further work on improving the resilience of mobile communications infrastructure.
Answer: Residents in rural areas, as well as other areas of the country, rightly expect to have reliable mobile connectivity to participate in the modern digital economy. The Government recognises that events like storms and power outages can have a particular im...
Answered 5 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordMobile Phones: AerialsDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 26 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 108167More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether she plans to publish the analysis underpinning the Government’s estimate of the cost of improving power resilience at mobile phone masts.
Answer: Residents in rural areas, as well as other areas of the country, rightly expect to have reliable mobile connectivity to participate in the modern digital economy. The Government recognises that events like storms and power outages can have a particular im...
Answered 5 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordMobile Phones: AerialsDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 26 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 108166More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what advice her Department has received from (a) mobile network operators, (b) Ofcom and (c) independent telecommunications resilience experts on the most cost-effective means of improv
Answer: Residents in rural areas, as well as other areas of the country, rightly expect to have reliable mobile connectivity to participate in the modern digital economy. The Government recognises that events like storms and power outages can have a particular im...
Answered 5 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordMobile Broadband: Per Capita CostsDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 26 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 108165More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what estimate her Department has made of the cost per customer per year of different mobile network resilience options.
Answer: Residents in rural areas, as well as other areas of the country, rightly expect to have reliable mobile connectivity to participate in the modern digital economy. The Government recognises that events like storms and power outages can have a particular im...
Answered 5 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordMobile Phones: AerialsDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 26 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 108164More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether she has made an estimate of the period of time for which improved power resilience at mobile phone masts would increase consumer bills.
Answer: Residents in rural areas, as well as other areas of the country, rightly expect to have reliable mobile connectivity to participate in the modern digital economy. The Government recognises that events like storms and power outages can have a particular im...
Answered 5 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordMobile Phones: AerialsDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 26 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 108163More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of installing back-up power at mobile phone masts on (a) one-off capital costs, (b) ongoing operational and maintenance c
Answer: Residents in rural areas, as well as other areas of the country, rightly expect to have reliable mobile connectivity to participate in the modern digital economy. The Government recognises that events like storms and power outages can have a particular im...
Answered 5 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordMobile Phones: AerialsDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 26 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 108162More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what estimate her Department has made of the potential impact of providing back-up power to mobile phone masts on consumer electricity costs; and whether this estimate is based on (a) D
Answer: Residents in rural areas, as well as other areas of the country, rightly expect to have reliable mobile connectivity to participate in the modern digital economy. The Government recognises that events like storms and power outages can have a particular im...
Answered 5 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordMobile PhonesDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 26 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 108161More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether she has consulted (a) industry bodies and (b) community representatives on proposals to improve mobile network resilience.
Answer: Residents in rural areas, as well as other areas of the country, rightly expect to have reliable mobile connectivity to participate in the modern digital economy. The Government recognises that events like storms and power outages can have a particular im...
Answered 5 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordTelecommunications: Power FailuresCabinet OfficeTabled 26 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 108160More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what discussions he has had with (a) local authorities and (b) Local Resilience Forums on supporting telecommunications resilience during power outages.
Answer: From conversations with local MPs and organisations involved in the response to Storm Goretti, I understand their concerns around telecommunications resilience, particularly in rural areas. I have asked my officials in the Cabinet Office and my ministeria...
Answered 5 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordMobile Phones: Power FailuresDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 26 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 108159More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of implementing alternative models for improving power resilience of mobile telecommunications networks, including the use of
Answer: Residents in rural areas, as well as other areas of the country, rightly expect to have reliable mobile connectivity to participate in the modern digital economy. The Government recognises that events like storms and power outages can have a particular im...
Answered 5 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordMobile Phones: AerialsDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 26 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 108158More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assumptions her Department used to estimate the cost of installing back-up power at mobile phone masts, including assumptions on (a) the number of sites covered, (b) the type of ba
Answer: Residents in rural areas, as well as other areas of the country, rightly expect to have reliable mobile connectivity to participate in the modern digital economy. The Government recognises that events like storms and power outages can have a particular im...
Answered 5 Feb 2026
Original Parliament recordUtilities: EmergenciesDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 12 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 104633More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions she has had with utility companies on directing customers to online information during service disruptions; and what steps she will take to ensure that essential infor
Answer: The Security and Emergency Measures Direction 2022 (SEMD) requires water companies to ensure continuation of their water distribution functions during an emergency. SEMD includes a legal requirement for companies to have “appropriate emergency communicati...
Answered 15 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordSouth West Water: CompensationDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 12 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 104632More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to ensure that the automatic compensation South West Water has announced for customers affected by Storm Goretti is funded from the company’s profits and reduc
Answer: Customers affected by Storm Goretti will receive payments under the Guaranteed Standards Scheme (GSS). These payments come from a company's current operating expenditure and are not paid for through a future increase in customer bills. The standards, outl...
Answered 19 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordSouth West WaterDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 12 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 104631More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions she has had with South West Water on the adequacy of its communication strategy during recent service disruptions, including whether she will ask the company to issue
Answer: The Security and Emergency Measures Direction 2022 (SEMD) requires water companies to ensure continuation of their water distribution functions during an emergency. SEMD includes a legal requirement for companies to have “appropriate emergency communicati...
Answered 15 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordMobile Phones: AerialsDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 12 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 104630More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what consideration her Department has given of the potential merits of requiring mobile network operators to fund the installation of emergency back-up power for mobile phone masts from
Answer: Residents in rural areas, as well as other areas of the country, rightly expect to have reliable mobile connectivity to participate in the modern digital economy. The Government recognises that events like storms and power outages can have a particular im...
Answered 21 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordMobile Phones: AerialsDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 12 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 104629More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether she plans to introduce mandatory requirements under the Civil Contingencies Act 2004 for mobile network operators to install emergency generator capacity at mobile phone masts.
Answer: Residents in rural areas, as well as other areas of the country, rightly expect to have reliable mobile connectivity to participate in the modern digital economy. The Government recognises that events like storms and power outages can have a particular im...
Answered 21 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordMobile PhonesDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 12 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 104628More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment she has made of the resilience of mobile communications infrastructure during prolonged power outages; and for what reason mobile phone masts are not required to have em
Answer: Residents in rural areas, as well as other areas of the country, rightly expect to have reliable mobile connectivity to participate in the modern digital economy. The Government recognises that events like storms and power outages can have a particular im...
Answered 21 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordVoice over Internet ProtocolDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 12 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 104627More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the transition from analogue to digital landline services on public safety, including the availability of digital tele
Answer: The Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) often relies on cables in the air that can fail during a storm. In 2024/25 there were over 2,600 major incidents on the PSTN, each affecting 500 or more customers. Further, in a power outage the PSTN would not ...
Answered 21 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordVoice over Internet ProtocolDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 12 Jan 2026AnsweredUIN 104626More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the withdrawal of analogue landline services on public safety, given that Voice over Internet Protocol systems cease t
Answer: The Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) often relies on cables in the air that can fail during a storm. In 2024/25 there were over 2,600 major incidents on the PSTN, each affecting 500 or more customers. Further, in a power outage the PSTN would not ...
Answered 21 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordDigital Technology: Proof of IdentityCabinet OfficeTabled 27 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 95015More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that digital identity does not become a de facto requirement for participation in (a) commerce, (b) governance and (c) daily life.
Answer: The Government’s new digital credential will focus on use cases that are most impactful for the public and will be designed to make interactions with public services easier. We will invite views on such use cases through the public consultation that will ...
Answered 4 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordElectronic Government: Proof of IdentityCabinet OfficeTabled 27 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 95014More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether his Department plans to provide alternative identity verification routes for individuals who do not wish to submit (a) facial and (b) other biometric data in the context of the proposed introduction of d
Answer: We are inviting the public to have their say in the upcoming consultation as we develop a safe, secure, and truly inclusive system for the UK. The consultation will gather views on the scheme, including any concerns around facial and biometric data associ...
Answered 4 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordElectronic Government: Proof of IdentityTreasuryTabled 27 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 95013More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what safeguards will be in place for self-employed individuals who decline to use the Government’s One Login system in 2027 on grounds of (a) conscience and (b) security.
Answer: GOV.UK One Login is the single sign-in and identity checking solution enabling citizens to access digital government services. Over time it will replace all other sign-in methods on GOV.UK including Government Gateway. Whilst HMRC will serve most of its c...
Answered 4 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordElectronic Government: Proof of IdentityDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 27 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 95012More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps she is taking to ensure that the proposed digital verification process for the Government’s One Login system is compliant with Article 9 of the UK General Data Protection Reg
Answer: GOV.UK One Login is fully compliant with all aspects of data protection law, including in relation to the processing of biometric data under the UK GDPR. DSIT relies on Article 9(2)(g) UK GDPR (substantial public interest) for the processing of biometric ...
Answered 5 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordTransport: Scottish IslandsScotland OfficeTabled 18 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 906522More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what discussions he has had with the Scottish Government on support for transport services for Scottish islands.
Answer: It is vital that Scotland’s island communities continue to thrive. Reliable, affordable transport connections are a critical part of that.The Scottish Government has failed to deliver that, and island communities, rightly, are demanding a credible plan fo...
Answered 26 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordCash DispensingTreasuryTabled 18 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 92496More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what progress she has made on implementing the provisions in Schedule 8 of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2023 on access to cash; and what discussions she has had with the Financial Conduct Authority on the
Answer: The Government recognises that cash continues to be used by millions of people across the UK, including those in vulnerable groups, and is committed to protecting access to cash for individuals and businesses. The Financial Services and Markets Act 2023 g...
Answered 24 Nov 2025
Original Parliament record
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