A communications device for communicating via a mobile communications network, the mobile communications network including one or more network elements providing a wireless access interface for transmitting signals to or receiving signals from the communications device, the communications device comprising: a transmitter configured to transmit the signals to the mobile communications network via the wireless access interface provided by the one or more network elements of the mobile communications network, and a receiver configured to receive the signals from the mobile communications network via the wireless access interface provided by the one or more network elements of the mobile communications network, and a controller configured to control the transmitter to transmit a random access message to a first network element via a random access channel of the wireless access interface which is common to one or more other communications devices, to receive from the first network element an acknowledgement in response to the random access message providing an indication of an allocation of communications resources of a shared up-link channel for the communications device to transmit signals to the first network element or a negative acknowledgement providing an indication that the communications device has not been allocated communications resources of the shared up-link channel, wherein in response to the receiver failing to receive either an acknowledgement or a negative acknowledgement within a predetermined time, the controller is configured in combination with the transmitter to retransmit the random access message one or more times (506, 507), each retransmission of the random access message being after a variable delay which is greater than or equal to the delay of a previous retransmission and each retransmission of the random access message being transmitted with an increased power to a previous retransmission, and to select a second network element to which to transmit a subsequent random access message to, the second network element having been selected in accordance with a network element selection or reselection criterion including a negative offset configured to be applied to a signal strength of signals received from the first network element, and the controller is configured in combination with the receiver and the transmitter to receive signals transmitted by the one or more network elements, to determine a signal strength of each of the received signals from each of the one or more network elements and establish corresponding parameters associated with the selection or reselection criterion, to apply the negative offset to the parameter associated with the selection or reselection criterion associated with the first network element, and to select the second network element in accordance with the selection or reselection criterion associated with the respective network elements. a transmitter configured to transmit the signals to the mobile communications network via the wireless access interface provided by the one or more network elements of the mobile communications network, and a receiver configured to receive the signals from the mobile communications network via the wireless access interface provided by the one or more network elements of the mobile communications network, and a controller configured to control the transmitter to transmit a random access message to a first network element via a random access channel of the wireless access interface which is common to one or more other communications devices, to receive from the first network element an acknowledgement in response to the random access message providing an indication of an allocation of communications resources of a shared up-link channel for the communications device to transmit signals to the first network element or a negative acknowledgement providing an indication that the communications device has not been allocated communications resources of the shared up-link channel, wherein in response to the receiver failing to receive either an acknowledgement or a negative acknowledgement within a predetermined time, the controller is configured in combination with the transmitter to retransmit the random access message one or more times (506, 507), each retransmission of the random access message being after a variable delay which is greater than or equal to the delay of a previous retransmission and each retransmission of the random access message being transmitted with an increased power to a previous retransmission, and to select a second network element to which to transmit a subsequent random access message to, the second network element having been selected in accordance with a network element selection or reselection criterion including a negative offset configured to be applied to a signal strength of signals received from the first network element, and the controller is configured in combination with the receiver and the transmitter to receive signals transmitted by the one or more network elements, to determine a signal strength of each of the received signals from each of the one or more network elements and establish corresponding parameters associated with the selection or reselection criterion, to apply the negative offset to the parameter associated with the selection or reselection criterion associated with the first network element, and to select the second network element in accordance with the selection or reselection criterion associated with the respective network elements.