Graham Walker, Director of Policy, Office of the Champion for Digital Inclusion getting ready to speak now on the benefits of digital inclusion.
10 million people in the UK have never used the internet are a particular focus of the Office of the Champion for Digital Inclusion.
There are some big questions that need to be asked over all sectors - is internet access necessary? Is it costing us more money to leave these people offline - it would save almost a billion pounds if one point of contact was made a year.
The structures are out there- we just need to make contact. 10 million are without internet 4 million have never accessed - 36% of them over 65 and 35% unemployed.
The benefits to children of getting families with young children online is immense. 10-11 billion pounds of benefits to their families' earnings too.
The difference to finding work- between sitting on busses to the job centre, and using job centre plus online.
We can be a critical friend to government. - We can contribute to the policy of parties of all colours.
Only half and just under half of MPs and Local councillors respectively think digital inclusion is a problem.
All sectors, government and local authorities all need to get involved.
"We think we should get all families with children online by 2012" - all unemployed should have access to email and another key target is to get 50-60% older people onto the internet - embed access to the internet and internet technologies as part of social care.
"We need to get this mainstream as part of a smarter governement agenda. It's recognised in education but needs to be part of social care" it needs to be mainstream policy"
Graham Walker has now finished speaking and the floor is being handed over to Stuart Edwards, Deputy Director of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
