Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department plans to take to close to the digital poverty gap in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) the North East and (c) the UK.

In response to Covid-19, the Government and Ofcom agreed a set of commitments with the UK’s major broadband and mobile operators to support vulnerable consumers during the pandemic. In order to ensure that those in financial difficulty have access to the connectivity they need, there are currently social tariffs in place that provide low cost landline and broadband services for those on means-tested benefits, including BT Basic and Virgin's new service, Essential. Vodafone has also launched a mobile service providing unlimited data at low-cost to those receiving certain means-tested benefits.

In the slightly longer term, Ofcom is reviewing affordability issues in the communications market more generally, and intends to publish recommendations in the first half of this year. This will improve the evidence base of where households face difficulty, and inform any future Government interventions.

Public libraries are also a vital component in tackling the digital poverty gap. During 2019/20, South Tyneside’s eight static libraries had 96 electronic workstations available with internet access, providing 298,632 hours of available use of the People’s Network and with 74,449 hours recorded use of People’s Network. In addition, the libraries also recorded 129,983 hours of use of Public Access Wi-Fi. Of the eight libraries in South Tyneside, two are open during the current national lockdown, one of which is Jarrow Focus that is offering access to public computers for essential use on a strict appointment basis.

The current lockdown requires libraries to close, other than to provide specific services, such as order and collect or providing access to public PCs for essential services. In addition, home library services and school library services can still operate on a no-or low-contact basis. While the regulations enable library services to continue to provide certain services, it is up to local Councils to determine after appropriate risk assessments around safety of both users and people working in libraries whether these services can and will be provided.