Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that the covid-19 tracing app will work in rural areas with poor access to mobile networks and broadband.

The National Health Service COVID-19 app uses Bluetooth technology to detect proximity contacts between app users, access to a mobile network or broadband is not required for this. The times when the user is required to use mobile data or broadband are downloading and registering the app, submitting symptoms if the user becomes symptomatic, and receiving alerts for self-isolation. We expect the vast majority of the population will be able to use the app using their existing mobile network or home broadband service. Mobile coverage is improving, with 91% of the United Kingdom landmass covered by a good 4G signal from at least one operator. The recently announced Shared Rural Network programme will go further and see Government and industry jointly invest to increase 4G mobile coverage throughout the UK to 95% by the end of 2025.