Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to developing a publicly accessible database on the UK’s subsurface to optimise understanding of it.

The subsurface enables a wide range of essential services that underpin our economy and society. The Government continues to invest to develop our understanding of the subsurface, for example:

• The British Geological Survey provide access to nationally significant subsurface data to support planning and the energy transition.
• The Geospatial Commission’s emerging National Underground Asset Register, a revolutionary digital map of underground pipes and cables, is expected to grow the economy by £5bn over the next decade.
• The Government Office for Science’s ‘Future of the Subsurface’ project is exploring current and future uses of the spaces beneath our feet.