4. Statement by the Deputy Minister for Climate Change: Update on Digital Strategy

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 3:43 pm on 15 March 2022.

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Photo of Lee Waters Lee Waters Labour 3:43, 15 March 2022

I agree with that. The digital divide is real. We saw it during the pandemic and it's a complex divide. It is about poverty, it's about access to equipment, it's about ability to afford a broadband connection, it's about digital and data poverty. That is no different from any other inequality we have in our society. The pattern is similar and it holds people back. I think we did great things during the pandemic, and schools did great things to make sure that pupils were given equipment, and were connected and were harnessed. But it is not a level playing field, and we spent considerable amounts of money and great effort to try to ameliorate the impact of this inequality. We have some impact, but we can't adjust the fundamentals, it seems. We have continued funding for the Digital Communities Wales project, run by the Wales Co-operative Centre, and, as I mentioned, the digital public services centre is commissioning research into a digital minimum living standard for Wales, which is a crucial evidence base, I think, for understanding, again, based on user research and user need, how we can up our game. 

In terms of the question of people accessing services and being left behind and usage, this is why the principle of user need is so critical. If we are designing a service around user need, the fact a user may not be online is our problem not their problem, because a service that's designed around user need will also devise a way to reach those people. It won't assume they are digital. So, you know, digital policy isn't about—. As I say, it's not about kit, it's about culture. So, properly designed public services around user need will find a way to reach people who are not connected, as well as giving an online, intuitive, end-to-end service for those that are. It's a whole-system approach, and that's why it's crucial, in the digital service standards we set and in the leadership training we offer, that leaders and all in the system understand that services are designed for users—they're not designed for the convenience of the system. And that's what I think is exciting about the digital reform agenda—it allows us to challenge the way public services work and are designed and operate, using digital to refocus them on the person at the sharp end they're for. And the person at the sharp end they're for will be different. So, the way we deliver services should be different and tailored.