Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 24 June 2014, Official Report, column 125W, on mobile phones: Herefordshire, what tests Ofcom carried out and on what dates to establish whether there is mobile reception in Fownhope.

The not spot data was updated by Ofcom with information from the mobile network operators. The operators submitted updated information on where they have coverage, as predicted by desktop planning tools, in March 2014. Ofcom did not carry out on the ground tests for all 34,000 not spots across the UK containing premises, as to do so would be prohibitively expensive. In areas where coverage is thought to be marginal, or there is uncertainty over coverage, DCMS officials have commissioned drive testing to check the level of coverage.