Asked by: Derek Thomas (Conservative - St Ives)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to the Government response to paragraph 62 of the Third Report of Session 2022-23 by the House of Lords Communications and Digital Committee on Digital exclusion, HL 219, published on 20 October 2023, what progress the dedicated cross-Whitehall ministerial group has made.
Answered by Saqib Bhatti - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Government established a cross-Whitehall ministerial group in response to a recommendation from the House of Lords Communication and Digital Committee’s report on ‘Digital Exclusion’, published in June 2023. The ministerial group aims to drive progress and accountability on digital inclusion priorities across Government.
The first ministerial group meeting took place in September 2023, chaired by the then Minister for Tech and the Digital Economy, Paul Scully. Ministers attended from the Cabinet Office, Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, Department for Culture, Media & Sport, Department for Work and Pensions, Department for Education, and His Majesty's Treasury.
The group agreed to undertake a departmental mapping exercise to drive and increase coherence across departmental work. It has also discussed specific priority issues, including the viability of each department joining device donation scheme, options to increase the accessibility of parking payments and accessibility of online government services. The group will receive an update on these issues at its next meeting later this month.
Asked by: Derek Thomas (Conservative - St Ives)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, pursuant to the Answer of 15 September 2023 to Question 198156 on Telephone Systems: Power Failures, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the minimum period landline providers should enable access to emergency organisations in the event of a power outage.
Answered by John Whittingdale
Ofcom’s guidance was issued following a consultation with the general public as well as telecoms providers and Ofgem, looking at data on the average length of UK power outages. The guidance only sets out the minimum standards, and in practice many providers are offering solutions which exceed them. There is an ongoing industry working group where Communications Providers are jointly discussing how to improve their resilience to power outages, which includes discussions on backup solutions.
The power resilience of our digital infrastructure networks is becoming increasingly important for keeping people connected in the event of a power outage. In recognition of this, the Secretary of State has asked Ofcom to review how all communications providers are meeting the needs of their customers. The government continues to work closely with Ofcom to understand what may be considered appropriate and proportionate.
Asked by: Derek Thomas (Conservative - St Ives)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of provisions made by landline providers to support customers during power outages after the transition to digital.
Answered by John Whittingdale
The Department engages with Communications Providers on a quarterly basis to ensure there are adequate plans in place for the transition to digital. Ofcom, the UK’s telecommunications regulator, has also issued guidance on how telecoms companies can fulfill their regulatory obligations in the event of a power cut.
The guidance states that providers should have at least one solution available that enables access to emergency organisations for a minimum of one hour in the event of a power outage. The solution should be suitable for customers’ needs and should be offered free of charge to those who are at risk as they are dependent on their landline. In practice many providers are offering solutions which exceed them, such as longer life battery back-up units and 4G enabled handsets.
In addition, Ofcom has an ongoing monitoring programme which includes regular engagement with large communications providers on their plans for the migration to VoIP and gathering information from other parties such as consumer stakeholders. As part of this work, Ofcom has issued an open letter to all providers to remind them of their responsibilities.