Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what data her Department holds on (a) underground asset strikes and (b) asset strikes in areas where the National Underground Asset Register has been operating in the past five years; and whether her Department has made an assessment of NUAR’s anticipated future underground strike rate compared with existing industry systems.

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology does not currently hold data on asset strikes, including in areas where NUAR has been operational. It is important to note that, over the past five years, NUAR has progressed through several delivery phases across different regions, starting as a pilot in Northeast England and Greater London and moving to public beta in England, Wales and Northern Ireland in June 2025, and up to this date, user access was restricted to manage demand as the service evolved.

An impact assessment was published on 24 October 2024 as part of the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025. This included estimates of NUAR’s effect on strike rates and was rated as fit for purpose by the Regulatory Policy Committee.