Brendan Ryan (Labour)

I move amendment No. 5:

In page 8, subsection (2)(d), line 22, after "projects" to insert "together with a strategy to ensure access to such educational provision by people suffering from physical or other disability or who are otherwise disadvantaged".

This amendment is very appropriate given the Minister's previous portfolio. We ought to have some reference on this and I am quite happy to listen to the Minister on it. The digital divide is now something of a cliché. It preoccupied the British Chancellor of the Exchequer in many of his budget speeches where he was concerned that the United Kingdom was developing into a two-tier society with one part of Britain digitally aware and engaged and the other part outside the digital world.

It would be very useful to extend the functions or the development plan of the digital hub agency to include my amendment which argues for a strategy to ensure access to such educational provision by people suffering from physical or other disability or who are otherwise disadvantaged. It is logical that an agency such as this ought to have a brief, in the light of the national poverty strategy where all public policy is meant to be tested for its impact on poverty reduction and the reduction of inequality. The Minister and I have discussed before with some enthusiasm whether poverty and inequality are the same thing. However, it would be a pity if we had to do all of this again to deal with the issue of socially disadvantaged people considering the objective of reducing poverty and deprivation, and also the general public policy for people with disability.

I am not hung up on the wording of the amendment if the Minister wishes to look at it before Report Stage. I would be quite happy if he did that because this is an issue that needs thought. However, there should be some objective to deal with what is called the digital divide. It is an important concern in our society.