Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether the use of planning reform to boost mobile connectivity is a formal responsibility of her Department.

Responsibility for national planning policy in England, including permitted development rights, sits with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG). The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) is responsible for digital infrastructure policy.

We engage regularly with MHCLG on the role of the planning system in supporting mobile connectivity. As part of this work, the government launched a call for evidence, led jointly by DSIT and MHCLG, to assess whether changes to existing permitted development rights could better support digital infrastructure deployment.

The call for evidence closed on Thursday, 26 February, and subject to the evidence received, the government will determine next steps, which may include consulting on proposed measures and, where appropriate, bringing forward legislation.