Asked by: Kirstene Hair (Conservative - Angus)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the locations are of the Emergency Service Network sites that are planned to be deployed in Angus; when those masts will become operational; and which of those sites will enable mobile network operators other than EE to make use of those new sites.
Answered by Nick Hurd
The new Emergency Services Network (ESN) is the next-generation critical communications system that allows the police, fire and rescue and ambulance services to operate safely, collaborate and innovate. ESN represents value for money for the taxpayer through delivering steady state savings of over £200m pa compared to Airwave.
There will be a total of 13 sites as part of new ESN in Angus. EE have already activated 1 site which is near the village of Farnell, south of Brechin.
The remaining 12 sites are being built by the Home Office led Extended Area Service (EAS) Programme and the details you have requested can be seen in the table below. The Programme is currently agreeing terms with EE in regards activation of all EAS sites.
*Passive build means that the site is completed but not yet activated. The Home Office is currently unable to give timeframes for activation.
| Location - Nearest Town/Village | Site Progress Status | Structure Type | Sharable to Multiple Operators | Passive Build Complete Forecast* |
| Rottal, Glenclover | In build | Shareable Lattice Tower | Yes | Sep-19 |
| Glen Esk | Planning approved. Waiting legal completion | Shareable Lattice Tower | Yes | Mar-20 |
| Tarfside, Glen Esk | Site Feasibility Carried Out | 3rd Party Tower | Not known | Jul-20 |
| Glen Lethnot | Site Feasibility Carried Out | 3rd Party Tower | Not known | Jul-20 |
| Glen Prosen | Planning approved. Waiting legal completion | Shareable Lattice Tower | Yes | Mar-20 |
| Glen Prosen/Dykehead | Legally complete. Start on site Q3 2019 | Shareable Lattice Tower | Yes | Nov-19 |
| Tarfside, Glen Esk | Planning approved. Waiting legal completion | Shareable Lattice Tower | Yes | Mar-20 |
| Edzell | Passive build complete forecast 31st July 2019 | Shareable Lattice Tower | Yes | Jul-19 |
| Blackwater Resevoir | Passive build complete forecast 31st July 2019 | Shareable Lattice Tower | Yes | Jul-19 |
| Craigiemeg | Legally complete. Start on site Q3 2019 | Shareable Lattice Tower | Yes | Nov-19 |
| Folda | Agreeing terms with Site Provider | Shareable Lattice Tower | Yes | Sep-20 |
| Balintore | Site Feasibility Carried Out | 3rd Party Tower | Not known | Jul-20 |
Asked by: Kirstene Hair (Conservative - Angus)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Emergency Service Network sites are planned to be deployed in (a) Angus and (b) Scotland.
Answered by Nick Hurd
The Emergency Services Network is being provided primarily to deliver world class critical voice and data to the emergency services to replace the aging and expensive Airwave network.
To provide the necessary coverage for ESN, mobile network operator EE is building over 400 new sites across the UK and upgrading its entire existing network to 4G.
Across the whole of Scotland, EE is initially deploying 355 sites with additional sites to follow, although some locations have still to be confirmed. Of these, 284 having been activated to date. The new 4G coverage these sites deliver, in addition to the upgrading of existing masts, will be available to EE’s commercial customers in addition to the emergency services wherever possible. In Angus, EE has deployed and activated one new site.
In addition to the new sites being provided by EE, the ESN programme is responsible for providing approximately 300 sites in the most remote and rural areas of Great Britain as part of the Extended Area Service (EAS) project
Other Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) can share all new sites being built by EE through a clear and well-understood industry process, in line with our State Aid requirements. It is a matter for those mobile network operators if they wish to share this infrastructure.
For the EAS sites all MNOs can apply to site share if the necessary planning permissions regarding a mast capable of hosting multiple operators are granted by the local planning authority. 98% of structures planned are designed to accommodate additional MNOs.
Twelve of these EAS sites are planned in Angus and these are composed of nine greenfield sites and three sites shared with the existing Airwave service. Construction has completed on one site.
Across the whole of Scotland 123 EAS sites are planned, including 76 greenfield sites, 30 sites shared with the existing Airwave service, and 17 sites shared with other mobile network operators. Of these 18 shared sites, 11 are proposed as shared sites with the Scottish Government 4G infill programme.
Of the 76 greenfield sites across Scotland, 10 have now completed construction, and construction is underway on a further 14 sites. The remainder are at various different stages of the necessary planning and legal processes before construction can begin
Currently there is one EAS site active in Scotland which is located in Lockerbie.
Asked by: Kirstene Hair (Conservative - Angus)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what mobile providers have access to the Emergency Service Network critical communications system in (a) Angus, (b) Scotland and (c) the United Kingdom.
Answered by Nick Hurd
The Emergency Services Network is being provided primarily to deliver world class critical voice and data to the emergency services to replace the aging and expensive Airwave network.
To provide the necessary coverage for ESN, mobile network operator EE is building over 400 new sites across the UK and upgrading its entire existing network to 4G.
Across the whole of Scotland, EE is initially deploying 355 sites with additional sites to follow, although some locations have still to be confirmed. Of these, 284 having been activated to date. The new 4G coverage these sites deliver, in addition to the upgrading of existing masts, will be available to EE’s commercial customers in addition to the emergency services wherever possible. In Angus, EE has deployed and activated one new site.
In addition to the new sites being provided by EE, the ESN programme is responsible for providing approximately 300 sites in the most remote and rural areas of Great Britain as part of the Extended Area Service (EAS) project
Other Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) can share all new sites being built by EE through a clear and well-understood industry process, in line with our State Aid requirements. It is a matter for those mobile network operators if they wish to share this infrastructure.
For the EAS sites all MNOs can apply to site share if the necessary planning permissions regarding a mast capable of hosting multiple operators are granted by the local planning authority. 98% of structures planned are designed to accommodate additional MNOs.
Twelve of these EAS sites are planned in Angus and these are composed of nine greenfield sites and three sites shared with the existing Airwave service. Construction has completed on one site.
Across the whole of Scotland 123 EAS sites are planned, including 76 greenfield sites, 30 sites shared with the existing Airwave service, and 17 sites shared with other mobile network operators. Of these 18 shared sites, 11 are proposed as shared sites with the Scottish Government 4G infill programme.
Of the 76 greenfield sites across Scotland, 10 have now completed construction, and construction is underway on a further 14 sites. The remainder are at various different stages of the necessary planning and legal processes before construction can begin
Currently there is one EAS site active in Scotland which is located in Lockerbie.
Asked by: Kirstene Hair (Conservative - Angus)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what proportion of Emergency Service Network critical communications system sites are active in (a) Angus and (b) Scotland.
Answered by Nick Hurd
The Emergency Services Network is being provided primarily to deliver world class critical voice and data to the emergency services to replace the aging and expensive Airwave network.
To provide the necessary coverage for ESN, mobile network operator EE is building over 400 new sites across the UK and upgrading its entire existing network to 4G.
Across the whole of Scotland, EE is initially deploying 355 sites with additional sites to follow, although some locations have still to be confirmed. Of these, 284 having been activated to date. The new 4G coverage these sites deliver, in addition to the upgrading of existing masts, will be available to EE’s commercial customers in addition to the emergency services wherever possible. In Angus, EE has deployed and activated one new site.
In addition to the new sites being provided by EE, the ESN programme is responsible for providing approximately 300 sites in the most remote and rural areas of Great Britain as part of the Extended Area Service (EAS) project
Other Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) can share all new sites being built by EE through a clear and well-understood industry process, in line with our State Aid requirements. It is a matter for those mobile network operators if they wish to share this infrastructure.
For the EAS sites all MNOs can apply to site share if the necessary planning permissions regarding a mast capable of hosting multiple operators are granted by the local planning authority. 98% of structures planned are designed to accommodate additional MNOs.
Twelve of these EAS sites are planned in Angus and these are composed of nine greenfield sites and three sites shared with the existing Airwave service. Construction has completed on one site.
Across the whole of Scotland 123 EAS sites are planned, including 76 greenfield sites, 30 sites shared with the existing Airwave service, and 17 sites shared with other mobile network operators. Of these 18 shared sites, 11 are proposed as shared sites with the Scottish Government 4G infill programme.
Of the 76 greenfield sites across Scotland, 10 have now completed construction, and construction is underway on a further 14 sites. The remainder are at various different stages of the necessary planning and legal processes before construction can begin
Currently there is one EAS site active in Scotland which is located in Lockerbie.
Asked by: Kirstene Hair (Conservative - Angus)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what progress has been made on the cross-government programme to deliver the Emergency Service Network critical communications system in (a) Angus and (b) Scotland.
Answered by Nick Hurd
The Emergency Services Network is being provided primarily to deliver world class critical voice and data to the emergency services to replace the aging and expensive Airwave network.
To provide the necessary coverage for ESN, mobile network operator EE is building over 400 new sites and upgrading its entire existing network to 4G.
Across the whole of Scotland, EE is deploying over 350 sites for the ESN programme, with 277 having been activated to date. The new 4G coverage these sites deliver, in addition to the upgrading of existing masts, will be available to EE’s commercial customers in addition to the emergency services. In Angus, EE has deployed and activated one new site.
For all new sites being built by EE, they are encouraging sharing with the other MNOs through a clear and well-understood industry process, in line with our State Aid requirements. In addition to the new sites being provided by EE, the ESN programme is responsible for providing approximately 300 sites in the most remote and rural areas of Great Britain as part of the Extended Area Service (EAS) project.
Twelve of these EAS sites are planned in Angus and these are composed of nine greenfield sites and three sites shared with the existing Airwave service. Construction is forecast to start on the first greenfield site this month, with a second site in May, followed by three sites beginning construction in June, one in July, two in August and the final one in November.
Across the whole of Scotland 123 EAS sites are planned, including 75 greenfield sites, 30 sites shared with the existing Airwave service, and 18 sites shared with other mobile network operators. Of these 18 shared sites, 11 are proposed as shared sites with the Scottish Government 4G infill programme.
Of the 75 greenfield sites across Scotland, six have now completed construction, and construction is underway on a further 11 sites. The remainder are at various different stages of the necessary planning and legal processes before construction can begin.
Asked by: Kirstene Hair (Conservative - Angus)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions his Department has had with representatives from the (a) hospitality sector, (b) agriculture sector and (c) health sector on the immigration White Paper.
Answered by Caroline Nokes
The Government published the White Paper ;The UK’s future skills-based immigration system (Cm 9722) on 19 December 2018. The White Paper is the start of a new conversation and we have launched a year-long engagement programme to take the views of stakeholders across the UK to hear their priorities, concerns and ideas before policies and processes are finalised and the new system comes into force from January 2021. We are determined to ensure that the future system is efficient and able to respond to users’ needs.
We have already delivered around 30 events reaching well over 500 stakeholders, for example, business and employer representatives, including the Confederation of Business Industry, the Federation of Small Businesses, as well as those from the health and social care sector, the hospitality industry and the construction and automotive industries. We are holding discussions with sectors and also across the UK, and have already held events in Scotland and Northern Ireland, with events in Wales being scheduled for April This is in addition to our continued engagement and negotiations with the EU and international partners.
As part of this engagement, we have established a range of advisory groups to enable detailed discussions with private, public and voluntary sector employers and industry representatives. Membership details of these groups will be published on gov.uk shortly.
Asked by: Kirstene Hair (Conservative - Angus)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent discussions his Department has had with the Migration Advisory Committee on future immigration policy after the UK leaves the EU.
Answered by Caroline Nokes
My Rt Hon Friend the Home Secretary and I met the Chair of the Migration Advisory Committee on 20 March 2019.
Asked by: Kirstene Hair (Conservative - Angus)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what progress he has made on the roll-out of the pilot Seasonal Agricultural Workers Scheme.
Answered by Caroline Nokes
The roll-out of the Seasonal Workers Pilot remains on track and will be implemented in spring this year. A commencement date for the pilot will be announced in the coming weeks.
Asked by: Kirstene Hair (Conservative - Angus)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent steps his Department has taken to reduce the level of crime in rural areas; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
The Government has ensured that, through the election of police and crime commissioners, communities, including those in rural areas, have a strong voice in determining how police resources are allocated to tackle the crimes that most matter to them.
Moreover, we are committed to providing all police forces in England and Wales with the resources they need to do their crucial work. In 2018/19, total police funding increased by over £460 million, including Council Tax precept and funding for national priorities. The proposed funding settlement for 2019/20 enables total policing funding to increase by up to £970 million, including Council Tax precept and funding for national priorities such as counter-terrorism. This is sufficient for the police to both manage financial pressures and invest in key capabilities such as recruiting more detectives.
Asked by: Kirstene Hair (Conservative - Angus)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what progress he has made on preparations for the introduction of a new seasonal agricultural workers scheme; and what the timetable for the introduction of that scheme is.
Answered by Caroline Nokes
The Government is determined to get the best deal for the UK in our negotiations to leave the EU, including for our world-leading food and farming industry. We have asked the Migration Advisory Committee for advice on the UK’s reliance on EU labour and they will help us shape immigration policy going forward.