Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to help reduce rates of digital exclusion among the elderly population.

Everyone should be able to benefit from the digital world, but we know that certain groups are more likely to be digitally excluded than others. This includes older people, with statistics showing 86% of adults aged 60+ are online, compared to 95% of all UK adults in 2025.

That is why, we have launched the £11.9 million Digital Inclusion Innovation Fund - backing local communities to lead the way in closing the digital divide. This is supporting 85 projects in England, including highly tailored and targeted interventions to help more digitally excluded older people get the access, skills and confidence to get online. More broadly, we are ensuring public services are accessible and inclusive, designing web and digital services that work for everyone so more people can access services quickly and easily.