Extracts from Commons debate on Digital Infrastructure,
Connectivity and Accessibility Jamie Stone (Caithness, Sutherland
and Easter Ross) (LD):...My final point is simply this: as we have
all gone about our business as Members of Parliament, having Zoom
meetings with Ministers, with civil servants in attendance and so
on, we realise—this happened to me only a couple of days ago—that
as often as not the Minister is in his or her home, and the civil
servants are in their homes, wherever...Request free trial
Extracts from Commons
debate on Digital Infrastructure, Connectivity and
Accessibility
(Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross) (LD):...My
final point is simply this: as we have all gone about our business
as Members of Parliament, having Zoom meetings
with Ministers, with civil servants in attendance and so on, we
realise—this happened to me only a couple of days ago—that as often
as not the Minister is in his or her home, and the civil servants
are in their homes, wherever they are in the UK. There has been
great talk over the years about decentralising civil service
functions out of London and the home counties, and into the north
of England, or, indeed, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. It
strikes me that the use of connectivity has demonstrated that this
can work fantastically well. It is a bit of a tall order, but could
I ask the Minister to look at the benefit that could arise from
this terrible pandemic? We could actually do clever things with the
civil service, and create jobs in areas where rentals and costs are
cheaper, which would save money for the Exchequer. I make that
suggestion from the bottom of my heart...
(Beaconsfield) (Con):...Forget about Netflix,
online learning, a Zoom call or working from home
effectively with internet speeds that slow. Not only in
Beaconsfield but nationwide, this is an issue that many Members
across the House are facing. Covid and the working from home
scenario has brought to light a lot of the disparities in digital
connectivity. I thank all Members for participating in this debate
today...
...A speed as low as 2 megs means that people cannot take
part in a Zoom call, so they cannot interview for
a job. This is not equal opportunities or equal access. Even in
entertainment, they can forget about watching the current season of
“The Crown” or anything else during covid, and cannot speak to
their family and friends on Zoom...
(Totnes) (Con):...The ease with which digital
connectivity has facilitated this enormous societal shift means
that whenever we do return to normality, it is unlikely that the
digital genie will ever be put back in the bottle. We are therefore
going to have to embrace this new reality of remote working and of
using the mediums of Zoom, Skype and Microsoft
Office...
To read the whole debate, CLICK
HERE
Extract from Westminster
Hall debate on Nurseries and Early Years Settings
(Romsey and Southampton North) (Con):...Over the
last eight months or so, providers have been keen to emphasise to
me the challenges that they have faced during the pandemic, and the
challenges that they have risen to: making their premises
covid-secure and ensuring that they are open for the children of
key workers. In the regular Zoom calls that I have
had with providers, they have been keen to emphasise the
significant financial impact on the sector...
To read the whole debate, CLICK
HERE
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