Janet Finch-Saunders, Shadow Minister for Older People, has called for action by the private sector to help tackle lack of alternatives to online services.

The Shadow Minister has proposed that the Digital Inclusion Charter be amended to include a seventh principle: the need to ensure that alternatives to online services are offered.

Commenting on her proposal, the Shadow Minister said:

“None of us can ignore the fact that alternatives to online services are needed.

“The Older People's Commissioner found that offline households miss out on savings of up to £560 a year from shopping and paying bills online.

“The cost of this to the Welsh public is phenomenal when considering that only 79 per cent of people buy goods or services online.

“We must act to ensure that services remain as affordable and accessible offline too.

“Whilst we cannot force the private sector to ensure that identical alternatives to online forms and offers are made available, we can ask them to do so as a gesture of good will.

“So to help this I have called for the digital inclusion charter to be amended so that it includes a seventh pledge. This would highlight the need to ensure that alternatives to online services are offered”.

Notes:

The Digital Inclusion Charter includes six pledges and is a simple way for organisations to show their commitment to helping digitally excluded people enjoy the benefits of the internet – particularly older people, people with disabilities, unemployed people, social housing tenants and families in poverty.

A third of older people do not make personal use of the internet. The figure is even higher for those aged over 75: 60 per cent.

Member Debate under Standing Order 11.21(iv): Online and Offline Public Services