Question follow-through · 120460
Emergency Calls: Rural Areas
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment she has made of the ability of rural communities to contact emergency services in the event of a prolonged power cut following BT’s move from copper landlines to digital
About this written question
A written question asks a government minister for information in writing. Parliament publishes the question and any answer.
- Answering body
- Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
- Tabled
- 12 Mar 2026
- Target answer date
- 16 Mar 2026
- Answer
- 20 Mar 2026 · 8 calendar days after tabling
Elapsed calendar days describe the record timeline, not whether Parliament considers an answer on time.
Recorded timeline
12 Mar 2026
Question tabled
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment she has made of the ability of rural communities to contact emergency services in the event of a prolonged power cut following BT’s move from copper landlines to digital
16 Mar 2026
Target answer date
Date supplied by the official written-questions record.
20 Mar 2026
Answer published
The Government is committed to ensuring that any risks from the industry-led migration of the copper based Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) to Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) are mitigated for everyone across the UK, including rural communitie...
Official data retrieved 28 Sept 2026.
Later records
Possible follow-up questions
Strong links require the same MP, department and exact heading. Other same-department questions are shown as unreviewed candidates, not as confirmed follow-ups. No debate link is asserted unless a stable source relationship exists.
Broadband: Rural Areas
2 Jun 2026 · To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps she is taking to address gaps in broadband connectivity in rural areas where properties are beyond effective range of fibre-to-the-cabinet infrastructure and have no confirme
Mobile Phones: Rural Areas
18 Jun 2026 · To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of mobile phone coverage in rural areas; and what steps he is taking to tackle gaps in mobile and broadband connectivity in Oake in Somerset.