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National Underground Asset Register

Question for Department for Science, Innovation and Technology

UIN HL274, tabled on 14 November 2023

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.

Answered on

28 November 2023

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.