Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps she is taking to (a) improve rural digital inclusion and (b) to address the specific needs of older people.

The Government’s ambition is simple: everyone, whatever their circumstances, should be able to get connected and get online, safely and with confidence.

In the year since the Digital Inclusion Action Plan, over a million people have been supported to get online, more than 22,000 people have received a free device, and communities across the UK have benefited from the £11.9 million Digital Inclusion Innovation Fund. This includes the Rural Media Charity, engaging rural West Midlands communities and supporting older people to benefit from being online, and Age UK’s Digital Champion Programme providing digital skills and devices across England.

Government remains committed to our target to deliver gigabit broadband coverage to 99% of UK premises by 2032.