One in six Scottish adults lack the digital skills needed for everyday life

By Joanna Mansell

As more key services move online, all public bodies must deliver on their responsibilities to ensure everyone can access the services they need. This includes the one in six Scottish adults who lack the digital skills needed for everyday life.

Public bodies must make better use of technology to deliver services. Done well it gives people greater flexibility whilst reducing costs to service providers. But some people are being left behind as more services move online and reliance on digital technology increases, causing unintended harms and further widening inequalities.

All public bodies have a responsibility – they need to do more to support people to use digital tools in a way that benefits them and make sure they can access the services they need. Failing to do so intensifies the impacts felt by already vulnerable people – due to poverty, age or because they have a disability. They need to consider the estimated 15 per cent of adults who don’t have digital skills and those living in the nine per cent of homes without internet access.

The Scottish Government had previously worked well with councils and the third sector to tackle digital exclusion, notably at the outbreak of the pandemic in 2020. Then £50 million was invested to provide access to devices, data and skills.

But since then, momentum has slowed, national leadership weakened, with less funding available.

To help mitigate the harms caused by inequalities, by the end of 2024/25 the Scottish Government and COSLA need to develop a clear action plan, with clarity on leadership, roles and responsibilities. This must also include detail about the funding needed and available to deliver this plan.

This is vital – it’s currently unclear across local and Scottish Government, and the third sector, who is responsible for delivering Scotland’s national digital strategy.

Stephen Boyle, Auditor General for Scotland, right,  said:  “Digital technology is at the heart of public service reform. Increasing efficiency is vital to ensure services can be delivered cost-efficiently, at a time of ever-intensifying budget and service pressures.

“To achieve this, the Scottish Government must have clear actions to tackle and mitigate the impacts of digital exclusion. Failing to do so risks marginalising the most vulnerable people in our communities. Those who most depend on public services must be at the forefront of the Government’s plans to reform how services are delivered.”

Nichola Brown, Member of the Accounts Commission said:  “Councils across Scotland, working collaboratively with local public, private and third sector partners, must be clearer about how they will reduce digital exclusion in their local area. COSLA has a vital role to play.”

Responding to the digital exclusion report by the Auditor General and Accounts Commission, which warns that rural communities are being prevented from participating in the digital economy because superfast broadband coverage is just 79% compared to 99% in urban areas, Scottish Liberal Democrat connectivity spokesperson Beatrice Wishart MSP, left,  said: “Thousands of households and businesses are missing out on the superfast broadband they were promised by the SNP years ago.

“Poor internet connections are a drag on the creation of high-skilled, high-wage jobs. They block the growth of island and rural businesses and put up barriers to people accessing basic services, from banking to healthcare.

“Scottish Liberal Democrats want to see a fresh push to properly connect every home and business to support jobs, education and equitable access to services wherever you live.”

Scottish Labour Social Justice spokesperson Paul O’Kane, right, said:  “This report sets out the high cost of failing to tackle digital exclusion – but the SNP government is set to raid digital exclusion funds for the second year in a row.

“It is the most marginalised communities in Scotland that will pay the price for the SNP’s broken promises on this important issue. 

“The SNP must listen to this stark warning and set out a real plan to break down the barriers that risk locking vulnerable people out of vital public services.”

Responding to the Auditor General’s report which calls for the Scottish Government to show more leadership of the public sector, Scottish Liberal Democrat Willie Rennie MSP, left,  said:  “Under the SNP, nothing really works anymore.

“Our NHS is on its knees, parents are worried about their children’s education and islanders are waiting on ferries that have never arrived.

“This report should be a shock to ministers. Scottish Liberal Democrats want to get our economy growing so that everyone across the country has great public services they can rely on.”