3. Will the First Minister make a statement on the Welsh Government's policy on improving mobile phone coverage in mid Wales? OAQ53016

Yes. Work continues on the delivery of our mobile action plan. This includes the publication of our new 'Planning Policy Wales' document very shortly, which recognises the economic importance of mobile coverage and appropriate permitted development rights for mobile phone infrastructure.

Thank you for your answer, leader of the house. Of course, the mobile action plan that you talk about hasn't delivered any concrete actions to date. We've seen planning policy updated and guidance updated in Scotland and in England as well. That's helped to prepare the way for 5G deployment and has helped to speed up the process for new mobile phone masts. A report that you commissioned on permitted development rights with respect to mobile telecommunications recommends an increase in the height of mobile masts to 20m or 25m, despite the fact that you've previously said that there's no evidence to support this. Can you update us on the status of implementing these recommendations, and commit to a public date when these reforms will be delivered? 

Yes. What I actually said, if you remember, was that it was very important that we make sure that what we recommend in Wales is fit for purpose in Wales, particularly in our very beautiful national parks. We wanted very much to ensure that the people of Wales are very happy with what we were proposing by way of infrastructure. Russell George, you and I have had these conversations very frequently over the last several years. We will be shortly publishing a new 'Planning Policy Wales'; that will set out some different permitted development rights, as you said. There are a number of other things that we're still talking about inside the mobile action plan around the way that that infrastructure is deployed, and I won't rehearse them here, because the Llywydd will start tapping her fingers on the desk. But there are a large number of things in contemplation there, a suite of which we hope will help. But, in the end, this is not devolved to Wales. In the end, what we need is action from the UK Government to—

This is a planning question. 

Yes, planning policy is devolved to Wales, but that will not—. It's not a silver bullet. What would be a silver bullet is putting 100 per cent geographic coverage for the mobile phone operators across Wales, or, if that's not going to be done in the spectrum sales, then allowing roaming in rural areas. This is a matter of some discussion between us. If we don't do that, we will never get the coverage that he, I know, very much wants, and certainly on this side of the house we very much want. 

Leader of the house, yesterday at the winter fair I published a consultation document about economic futures for Powys. And there at the show, and also in e-mails that I've received since, I've had numerous communications highlighting the difficulties faced with the poor access to 4G in the Newtown and Llanidloes areas. Now, I appreciate from your response to Russell George that there are some elements of this agenda that are not devolved, but what further can you do, because those businesses are telling us that the poor mobile access is really having an impact on their capacity to expand?

Yes, and I have every sympathy with them. Unfortunately, the 4G spectrum was sold in such a way that you can hold it and never use it, and that's very much part of the discussion with the UK Government about the sale of future spectrum, because we think that just being able to buy it and then hold it and never do anything with it is not the way forward for obvious reasons. We are looking, however, to make sure that we can maximise our use of public buildings, public space, and the new technologies that cross across mobile and broadband, so that, for example, we can broadcast a Wi-Fi signal off public buildings. So, we're actively looking to see what other things we can do to enable, for example, Wi-Fi calling. Unfortunately, we cannot change the 4G situation, but we are constantly lobbying both Ofcom and the UK Government to change the way that the spectrum is held and to change the geographical obligation coverages in that, because at the moment it's absolutely hopeless.

Question 4 [OAQ53014] is withdrawn. Question 5—Leanne Wood.