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 help ensure digital (a) inclusion and (b) consistency across in (i) urban and (ii) rural local authorities in transforming public service delivery.

The Government is committed to improving digital inclusion and ensuring consistency in the transformation of public service delivery across both urban and rural areas. Through the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology’s Digital Inclusion Action Plan: First Steps, the Government is working with local authorities and delivery partners to improve access to digital services and address barriers to inclusion. This includes identifying and addressing gaps in existing guidance, such as the Service Manual and Service Standard, and developing a measurement framework to support service teams in assessing and improving inclusivity. These steps will support more consistent, user-focused service transformation regardless of location.