A parliamentary committee and a major charity have criticised the Government for what they said is a lack of adequate action on digital exclusion.
The House of Lords Communications and Digital Committee and Good Things Foundation have both published statements after the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) responded to the former’s report on digital exclusion.
Published in June, the report said there was a need for a new strategy with an investment in basic skills, support for digital inclusion hubs, scaling up internet vouchers schemes and efforts to ensure machine learning tools do not exclude people from public services.
The Government’s response said it is taking the broad issue seriously and will establish a ministerial group, but declined to publish a new strategy or set up a digital exclusion unit, saying the issue is closely related to other priority policy areas. It also said it has no plans to provide communications regulator Ofcom with new powers on how telecoms companies advertise their products and the availability of social tariffs, or to remove VAT on the latter.
The committee said it amounted to a lack of sufficient action on its recommendations and a reluctance to dedicate sufficient political attention and resources to the matter.
An ongoing challenge
Its chair, Baroness Stowell, said: “Digital exclusion is not a problem that will solve itself. It is an ongoing challenge and we need clear direction from the Government about how they will prioritise making sure people are not excluded or left behind when it comes to enjoying the benefits of being online.
“Our report set out a series of key areas where the government could take the lead in tackling the digital divide, including in developing digital skills and confidence among those with the lowest level of digital capability.
“In their response the Government have reasserted that digital exclusion is a priority, but their actions do not live up to the words. It is simply not credible to claim it is a priority when the key strategy for helping people keep pace in such a fast moving area is over a decade old.”
Helen Milner, chief executive of Good Things Foundation, said the promised ministerial group should publish an action plan soon and welcomed plans for a DSIT review on device donations.
But she also expressed disappointment at the lack of a plan for a digital exclusion unit, and that most of the committee’s recommendations had not been taken up.
Her overall verdict on the Government’s response was: “Too many words, no vision. Too much on what has been delivered, and not enough on what’s going to be delivered.”
