UN Technology Summit (Hansard, 6 January 2004)

§ 21. Mr. David Stewart (Inverness, East, Nairn and Lochaber) (Lab)
If he will make a statement on the recent UN technology summit in Geneva on the digital divide. [145857]

§ 24. Derek Wyatt (Sittingbourne & Sheppey) (Lab)
If he will make a statement on the recent UN technology summit on the digital divide. [145860]

§ The Minister for the Cabinet Office and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (Mr. Douglas Alexander)
My hon. Friend the Minister for Energy, E-Commerce and Postal Services represented the Government at a recent world summit on the information society in Geneva. The summit developed a plan of action to ensure that the benefits of information and communication technologies flow to all in society.

§ Mr. Stewart
Does my hon. Friend agree that it is crucial to use technology to benefit billions of people in the developing world? There should not have to be a choice between pentiums and penicillin; we should be thinking about how to use the power of the internet to benefit the poor and the dispossessed.

§ Mr. Alexander
I entirely agree. The real challenge is to ensure that new technologies do not exacerbate historical divides, and that is as true in the United Kingdom as it is in the world as a whole. I am proud of this Government's record of tackling the digital divide, not just in my hon. Friend's constituency but through international initiatives such as the summits attended by the Minister for Energy, E-Commerce and Postal Services.

§ Mr. Wyatt
My hon. Friend may not know that I won a Commonwealth Parliamentary Association bursary to examine the digital divide, and travelled to Mozambique, Tanzania and Zambia. I concluded that what was needed to tackle the digital divide was a solar powered computer, which could be made in Africa for under £100. Will my hon. Friend use his best endeavours to persuade the Commonwealth Development Corporation and the Government to run a competition for that purpose?

§ Mr. Alexander
I know of my hon. Friend's longstanding commitment to this issue. I will certainly think about it, and I should be happy to correspond with him.

§ Mr. Richard Allan (Sheffield, Hallam) (LD)
Does the Minister agree that the questions "Who runs the internet?" and "How?", which are on the United Nations summit agenda, are increasingly important as the internet becomes an essential part of all our lives? To assist in that debate, will he undertake to publish as clear a statement as possible about the United Kingdom Government's policy in relation to the UN, the International Telecommunication Union and all the other bodies involved in deciding how the internet is run?

§ Mr. Alexander
As the hon. Gentleman will know, a huge amount of work is being done not just domestically but internationally through a range of organisations. I shall try to ensure that the e-envoy writes to him about his observations.

§ Michael Fabricant (Lichfield) (Con)
I congratulate British Telecom on lowering trigger levels, which has led to an expansion of broadband throughout the UK; but is the Minister aware that according to the International Telecommunication Union, based in Geneva, take-up has fallen in Britain in relation to that in other countries? We have in fact dropped from fifth to 18th place. What role can the Government play to encourage those with computers whose areas provide broadband to transfer to it from dial-up?

§ Mr. Alexander
I certainly think there is a role for enlightened Members of Parliament, who can speak in public debates about the benefits that can accrue to individual constituents from broadband, but I also think we should retain a sense of scale and proportion. Price is no longer a barrier in the UK—broadband prices have fallen to competitive levels in international terms—and there has been an exponential growth in the broadband market in recent years: 80 per cent. of the UK population now has access to the mass-market service. I particularly welcomed BT's announcement in November that it would make a further tranche of exchanges possible.

§ Chris Bryant (Rhondda) (Lab)
Do the Government accept that there is still a significant digital divide between rich and poor parts of the country? Many poor rural and former mining constituencies, in particular, still have no access to digital terrestrial television. When will the Government ensure that freeview is available throughout the country?

§ Mr. Alexander
My hon. Friend has raised two important points. The first was about digital television, in which we are one of the world leaders. We continue to make progress in that regard. The second concerned digital inclusion. We are not resting on our laurels following our significant success with broadband; we are looking more deeply at the barriers in communities such as my hon. Friend's that prevent people from adopting the internet. One barrier is caused by income levels, a second by age, and there are also cultural barriers. That is why I was so pleased with our "Get Started" campaign last year, which involved harnessing the 6,000 UK online centres in the country to tackle the digital divide of which my hon. Friend speaks.