Asked by
To ask His Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to
ensure that eligible households are aware of the social broadband
tariffs available to them.
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for
Digital, Culture, Media and Sport ( of Whitley Bay) (Con)
My Lords, while there is a good availability of low-cost offers
for broadband customers, low take-up remains an issue, partly due
to the need for greater awareness. My department is working with
a range of parties, including other government departments,
jobcentres, libraries, local authorities, charities, consumer
groups and internet service providers, to get the message to
everyone eligible. The Government are also raising awareness
through the UK-wide Help for Households campaign so that families
up and down the country know how and where to find these offers.
(Non-Afl)
My Lords, millions and millions of people—up to 4 million on
benefit—are spending more than they need to on their broadband,
as the take-up of social tariffs is shockingly low. We need to do
more. Digital inclusion matters: without it, we know that people
are economically and socially disadvantaged. I take the point
about awareness but is it not time for the Government to work
with internet service providers to do two things? First, they
should ensure an industry standard for all social tariffs for
speed, terms and costs. Secondly, and most importantly, they
should create an auto-enrolment scheme so that everybody who is
entitled to a social tariff and a data voucher receives them.
of Whitley Bay (Con)
I am very grateful to the noble Baroness, whose Question is
helping us to raise awareness for all those that need it. As I
said, we are working with a number of groups and parties across
the country to get the message out. She rightly underlines the
importance of the internet to the way everybody leads their
lives. One of the myths to bust is that the speed provided on a
social tariff is inferior to other ones. Many providers offer
very good services for people, and we are keen to get the message
out, through our communications campaign and our work with the
Department for Work and Pensions, on the other issues she
mentions.
(Con)
My Lords, the Minister is right in what he says, but while we all
support the universal need for broadband, since 26 December last
year, as he knows, planning regulations have been changed so that
all new-build housing must have full-fibre broadband provision.
Is he satisfied with that, and does he not think there are other
ways in which we can encourage providers to provide full fibre
for a much wider area of the country?
of Whitley Bay (Con)
My noble friend is right to point to the changes that were made
in the building regulations on Boxing Day. That, of course, sits
alongside the work we have taken forward through two
telecommunications infrastructure Acts to help ensure that
connectivity reaches more households, particularly those in large
blocks of flats. It accompanies our wider work to ensure that
everyone has access to high-speed internet. As a result of that,
73% of UK premises can now access gigabit-capable broadband, a
huge increase from just 6% this time four years ago.
(LD)
My Lords, lack of access to digital devices is a major cause of
data poverty. What resources are the Government providing, and
what steps are they taking, to make sure that public bodies such
as GP practices and schools ensure that families in data poverty
can access digital-only services? Do the Government even have a
comprehensive digital exclusion policy?
of Whitley Bay (Con)
By its nature, this, of course, touches on the work of any
government department. The Department for Education, through its
digital entitlement programme, is equipping people with digital
skills. DCMS encourages departments to consider, when making
policy, the needs of people who might be digitally excluded. It
is supporting that through, for instance, its work with the
approximately 2,900 libraries nationwide to make sure that people
can get online there if they need to.
(Lab)
My Lords, is the Minister aware that BT has said that by 2025, it
is going to disconnect all wi-fi copper connections, and that the
average cost for all consumers will be about £100 a month? How is
anybody going to afford this?
of Whitley Bay (Con)
We are working with providers to make sure that faster broadband
connection can be rolled out to people across the country and
that those costs are not passed on to consumers. It is of course
in providers’ interests to provide fast connections and products
that people want to use.
(CB)
My Lords, given the pressure on hospital beds and the move to
virtual wards, whereby patients are looked after at home and
monitored through electronic devices, what are the Government
doing to ensure the rapid installation of adequate broadband in
homes with no connectivity, so that patients can be cared for in
these virtual wards —which are being set up specifically because
there are not enough beds in the NHS to take them?
of Whitley Bay (Con)
The noble Baroness touches on work about which it may be better
for my colleagues in the Department of Health and Social Care to
respond. We are working to ensure that everybody has connection
to high-speed internet, and through social tariffs it is now
available in 99% of the country.
(Con)
My Lords, many millions of people can neither afford to use
internet broadband nor even own a smartphone, especially the
elderly. Government figures suggest that more than 90% of people
under 60 are digitally enabled, but approximately half of
over-75s are not. Can my noble friend the Minister comment on the
apparent age discrimination inherent in allowing the accessing of
essential public services, banking, making parking payments and
more to require ownership or use of an app or the internet? What
is the Government’s strategy for remedying that digital
exclusion?
of Whitley Bay (Con)
My noble friend is right about the different impacts this has on
people of different ages. While accessing services online
provides clear benefits to people, I know that many companies are
mindful of those who are not yet able to do so. As I have said,
we are ensuring that everyone who wishes to do so has access to
high-speed internet. Through social tariffs, they know that they
can afford it, so if they wish to access those services online,
they can.
(Lab)
My Lords, the Government are handing £5 billion to BT for
broadband provision. Under that deal, BT will keep the resulting
assets and income streams for years and years to come. Can the
Minister explain why, as part of that deal, the Government did
not ask for free broadband for all poor and vulnerable
households?
of Whitley Bay (Con)
As I have said, the industry is responding, with a number of
operators providing low-cost social tariffs for people who want
them. We think that a voluntary, market-led approach is the
quickest way to provide fast internet connection to everybody,
and we are very grateful for the industry’s co-operation.
(Lab)
My Lords, can the Minister come back to the question raised by
the noble Baroness, Lady Altmann? It appears that some government
departments will accept payments only if they are made online,
thereby excluding millions of people from engagement. What are
the Government going to do to be more inclusive?
of Whitley Bay (Con)
My Lords, I will discuss that with colleagues in other
departments who are responsible for that particular aspect.
(Lab)
My Lords, as the Minister himself acknowledged, automatic
verification of eligibility for cheaper broadband and mobile
tariffs is just one side of the story, as only 136,000 households
are signed up, with potentially millions not receiving the help
they could benefit from. What assessment has been made of the
low-income groups who are missing out? Can the Minister commit to
a targeted rather than a general campaign to increase take-up—for
example, contacting claimants directly? After all, the Government
are aware of who they are.
of Whitley Bay (Con)
The Department for Work and Pensions is working with operators to
ensure that the digital verification system is consistent with
that. Earlier this month, Sky became the first national provider
to go live on that system, with others following in the coming
weeks and months. The noble Baroness is right: this and our
broader work to help households is part of a large communications
campaign that is indeed targeted at the households we think will
benefit from it. For example, there are adverts on cash- points,
the sides of buses and pub TV screens, and leaflets have been
disseminated to 150 supermarkets and to food banks and hospitals
around the country to ensure that the message gets to those who
will benefit from it.
(Lab)
My Lords, would the Minister like to try again to answer my noble
friend Lord Sikka’s question? Can he say why BT has not been
required to offer free broadband to the poorest and most
vulnerable in our society, who clearly have some of the greatest
need?
of Whitley Bay (Con)
I did answer the question. We consider that the quickest way to
get this help out is through a voluntary, market-led approach.
The social tariffs are available in 99% of the country, and our
communications work is to ensure that people are aware of them
and take them up.
