Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether her Department has undertaken an analysis of the mobile connectivity and 5G network infrastructure requirements for each project in the Government Major Projects Portfolio.

HM Treasury has not undertaken specific analysis of the digital and telecoms requirements of each Government Major Projects Portfolio project. However, the UK 10 Year Infrastructure Strategy takes a digital-first approach to infrastructure, meaning these needs should be considered a priority as projects are developed.

The National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority (NISTA) is working with other government departments to analyse telecoms requirements at a sector level across transport, energy and water and is leading the development of ALIGN - the government’s national infrastructure spatial tool. This is a single digital platform bringing together strategies, data and tools - including AI - to identify local infrastructure needs and constraints. The objective of this work is to provide granular modelling outputs and insights to strengthen the local evidence base for place-based infrastructure investment decisions.