Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the trend in the number digitally excluded adults.

The Financial Conduct Authority’s (FCA) Financial Lives Survey reports that 1.2 million UK adults (2%) were digitally excluded in 2024, a significant decrease from 6.9 million (14%) in 2017.

Digital inclusion was considered as part of the Government’s Financial Inclusion Strategy, published by HM Treasury in November last year, which sets out a range of ambitious measures for the Government and industry to improve financial inclusion and resilience for underserved groups across the UK.

The Strategy seeks to support digital inclusion through interventions to prioritise inclusive design. HM Treasury is also working closely with the Department for Innovation, Science, and Technology (DSIT) on their Digital Inclusion Action Plan and work to address wider barriers such as connectivity, skills, and access to devices.