Asked by: Rachel Gilmour (Liberal Democrat - Tiverton and Minehead)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps his Department is taking to tackle digital exclusion among older people.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
Tackling digital exclusion, which disproportionately impacts certain demographics including older people, is a priority for government.
That is why we published the Digital Inclusion Action Plan – First Steps in February 2025, which outlines the first five actions we are taking over the next year on digital inclusion. Digital exclusion is often age-related, which is why we are keen to address lack of digital skills, as well as access to the internet and to suitable devices.
These actions are our immediate steps to boost digital skills and confidence, widen access to devices and connectivity, and get support to people in their own communities so everyone can reap the benefits of technology.
Asked by: Rachel Gilmour (Liberal Democrat - Tiverton and Minehead)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps he plans to take to support rural households in Tiverton and Minehead constituency with gaining broadband connections, in the context of (a) Connecting Devon and Somerset and (b) Airband deciding to scale back Airband’s contract agreements to deliver full fibre to properties in the region.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
We are considering how Project Gigabit can support the rollout of fast, reliable broadband to premises that have been descoped from Airband’s contracts with Connecting Devon and Somerset. This may include bringing more premises into the scope of Project Gigabit contracts in the region or supporting suppliers to deliver more projects through the Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme. In some cases, premises that were set to be connected by Airband have since been included in suppliers’ commercial plans, so will no longer require public subsidy to receive access to a gigabit-capable broadband connection.
Asked by: Rachel Gilmour (Liberal Democrat - Tiverton and Minehead)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of transitioning from analogue landline systems to a digitised service on (a) Tiverton and Minehead constituency and (b) other rural areas.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The industry-led migration from analogue to digital landlines (“the PSTN migration”) poses some specific risks for rural constituencies, for instance where areas may be more prone to power outages or lack mobile coverage. The Department is working with communications providers to ensure that they are mitigating these risks wherever possible, for example by encouraging the industry to provide improved power resilience to vulnerable customers.
Since the general election, the government has brought together communications providers, government departments, local government, telecare providers and water companies to ensure that the transition proceeds smoothly and stably. This has led to a new Charters of Commitments signed by industry to ensure additional protections for vulnerable customers and for Critical National Infrastructure.