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<p>The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology is responsible for coordinating
HMG digital inclusion policy as part of its commitment to ensuring that no one is
left behind in the digital age. Digital inclusion is a cross-cutting issue that spans
social engagement, education, employment, access to services and many more elements
of everyday life.</p><p> </p><p>The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
leads on telecoms and digital infrastructure, including Project Gigabit, the Government’s
£5 billion mission to deliver lightning-fast, reliable broadband to the hardest to
reach parts of the UK. In the Wigan constituency, over 98% of premises can access
a superfast connection (>=30Mbps), while 92% can access a gigabit-capable connection,
up from 0.8% in December 2019. Both of these current figures are higher than the national
averages of 97% and 81% for superfast and gigabit-capable coverage, respectively.</p><p>
</p><p>More broadly across Government, the Cabinet Office is working to remove barriers
and ensure online services are as inclusive as possible by making public sector websites
accessible to as many people as possible. The Cabinet Office leads on the Service
Standard, a set of principles government service teams and departments must adhere
to when creating and running new public services – such as the NHS – and some Local
Authorities, including Greater Manchester Combined Authority, have committed to using
these as well.</p><p> </p><p>Training is available for elderly people wishing to acquire
essential digital skills. Department for Education has introduced a digital entitlement
for adults with no or low digital skills to undertake specified digital qualifications,
up to level 1, free of charge. Essential Digital Skills Qualifications, introduced
alongside the digital entitlement, are based on new national standards which set out
the digital skills people need to get on in life and work.</p><p> </p><p>We also recognise
that ongoing support is essential to overcome barriers of access. Our network of 2,900
public libraries across England provide a trusted network of accessible locations
with staff, volunteers, free Wi-Fi, public PCs, and assisted digital access to a wide
range of digital services.</p>
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