Chi Onwurah – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2016-04-21.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessments he has made of the role of libraries in reducing digital exclusion.

Mr Edward Vaizey

Libraries play a significant role in supporting digital engagement, by providing computers and WiFi to enable people to access the internet and digital services, as well as offering digital skills training and support.

Thanks to Government funding, free WiFi is available in 99% of public libraries in England. DCMS and the Leadership for Libraries Taskforce are working with national partners to develop the role of libraries in improving digital engagement. From 1 October 2015 to 31 March 2016, The Tinder Foundation, in partnership with the Taskforce, carried out a Libraries Digital Inclusion Action Research Project. This supported 16 library authorities across England to pilot and assess new approaches to build digital engagement in socially excluded, hard to reach groups. The Foundation published interim findings in February 2016, and a final report is due in this summer that will help inform future digital engagement activity for libraries.