I thank Beatrice Wishart for bringing this debate—the final one of the parliamentary year—to the chamber, and I am pleased to join her in making the case for all of our citizens to have access to good digital connectivity.

It is important to recognise that this is a matter for the UK Government as well as the Scottish Government, and I ask the Scottish Government to ensure from the outset that it works closely with the UK Government to progress it. Indeed, we can make that progress if we co-ordinate and manage the multiple issues that we have heard about.

Sometimes there is a sense that access to technology and the internet is a bit of a luxury and that it is not really essential to be digitally connected. However, as we have heard in the chamber already, we all understand that that is not the case. Those who are not online or who do not have the same access as others to the digital connectivity that we are talking about are definitely being left behind.

I remind members that digital poverty affects one in seven people across the UK. Ofcom’s 2023 “Online Nation” report found that a surprising 7 per cent of British households had no internet access at all in their home. The reality is that digital poverty exacerbates the hardships that people face and for those in that situation in 2024 it can be difficult to access many forms of healthcare, employment opportunities, and basic information about transport, weather problems or service changes, as well as many other things that, as members have said, we all take for granted.

I understand that R100 aims to be one of the most ambitious infrastructure programmes in Europe and to ensure that most rural parts of Scotland achieve parity in digital connection, and I acknowledge that that is what the Scottish Government is seeking. However, the Government’s ambition was to connect every household to superfast broadband by 2021, and it is now estimated that full R100 roll-out will not be achieved until 2028.

I understand from research that I have undertaken for the debate that although many homes have access to superfast broadband, as with much in the digital era, it is the same households and communities that are suffering from the divide and the slow progress. In this case, it is our more rural and island communities that have suffered. Members might be surprised to learn, though, that I have been contacted by communities in Lanark that are having some problems with weak connection and are needing help; indeed, businesses are being affected.

The R100 Scottish broadband voucher scheme, which was launched in September 2020, ensures that any home or business that is not in scope of the R100 contracts or planned commercial build can get access through a voucher worth up to £5,000. However, as we have heard from Beatrice Wishart and others, the scheme has not been without its difficulties, and I hope that in his closing speech the minister will address some of Beatrice Wishart’s specific points.

There are many myths about access to digital technology, and the motion clearly and correctly details some of the very real realities facing people who live in our rural or island communities. The reality is that the broadband that many have access to is very slow; the ambition to connect people is there—I understand that—but again and again, the reality on the ground for the same people is that the current system is slow and needs to be reinvigorated.

I once again thank Beatrice Wishart and all of the members who have contributed to the debate, and I hope that the minister has some positive feedback to give us in his closing speech.