§ 10. Mrs. Linda Gilroy (Plymouth, Sutton)What steps he is taking to improve access to public services by older people. [83649]
§ The Parliamentary Secretary, Cabinet Office (Mr. Peter Kilfoyle)The Government have set up 28 pilots under the better government for older people programme to improve services. In March, we also launched a new network, which already involves more than 100 local authorities and central Government agencies. This month, we begin the first of our listening to older people events with a "virtual conference" of older people on the internet.
§ Mrs. GilroyI thank my hon. Friend for that reply. I believe that one of those pilot schemes is taking place in Devon. I greatly welcome my hon. Friend's points about the internet. Older people are often thought of as being less able and less willing to use the internet, but in fact they are one of the fastest growing age groups in their use of the internet. Will he tell us a little more about how the internet is being used to give convenient access to public services?
§ Mr. KilfoyleI happily agree with my hon. Friend that there is much misinformation about the facility with which older people take to the internet. Older people who use the internet are a fast-expanding group. Some of the pilot schemes that we have set up under the better government for older people programme enable older people to acquire internet skills to access local and national information. Last, but not least, I entirely agree with my hon. Friend about Devon county council's participation in the pilot studies, which involve a broad range of urban and rural areas, different sizes of local government units and different cities. There is a wide geographic spread.
§ Mr. John Bercow (Buckingham)Given that the Cabinet Office has an interest in the co-ordination of the range of Government policies, and that it has an interest in the progress—or lack of progress—of Government policies in respect of public services, can the Minister tell the House what proportion of those people who have been waiting for hospital treatment for more than 12 months are of pensionable age?
§ Mr. KilfoyleThe honest answer is that I cannot; I shall have come back to the hon. Gentleman with that number. I do know that, because of the successful programme that was set up by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor, we are able to allocate an extra £21 billion this year to ensure that those waiting lists are further reduced, so that we can maintain all 177 manifesto commitments that we made.