To ask the Scottish Government what steps it has taken on digital exclusion to address the “weakened” national leadership referred to by Audit Scotland in its report “Tackling digital exclusion”, which was published 12 months ago. (S6O-04868)

The Government welcomes the report and is working with local government to take action on digital exclusion. Our approach has evolved since the pandemic, but our commitment remains firm. We are tackling root causes of digital exclusion while developing sustainable ways to mitigate its impact.

A refresh of the digital strategy, developed with the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities, will set a national direction, followed by an action plan with measurable outcomes. We are embedding inclusion into public services, ensuring that access is not an afterthought, and we will continue to lead cross-sector collaboration, including through the digital inclusion alliance, addressing digital exclusion as a national priority.

She may not be answering this question, but I take this opportunity to say that I was saddened to hear that the Deputy First Minister will not be standing at the next election. She will be missed by the Parliament.

According to the Lloyds consumer index, 15 per cent of adults lack foundation-level digital skills, and 9 per cent of households have no internet access. That is not just digital exclusion; it is exclusion from healthcare, education and democracy. Twelve months on from the report, we have still not had a strategy. Indeed, the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations has withdrawn from working with the Scottish Government, because those at the SCVO fundamentally disagree with the direction of travel.

Despite £764,000 coming from the United Kingdom Government’s £9.5 million digital innovation fund, there are no plans from the Scottish Government on how it will spend that money. Will the minister set out how the Scottish Government intends to tackle digital exclusion and how it will spend the £764,000 that is coming to it?

We welcome the fact that the UK Government is now taking action on digital exclusion, and we want to work with it on that. We welcome the resource that will come to Scotland as part of the budget mentioned by the member. Once that cash is with us and we work things out with COSLA and those in other sectors regarding the refreshed strategy that I referred to, it will be put to good use on top of the existing budget for connecting Scotland. That work is already under way and the budget is being spent on tackling the issue.

We have to find new ways to proceed. The member is quite right in that a gap of 15 per cent is one that is too large by 15 per cent, especially in this day and age, when artificial intelligence and other technologies are becoming increasingly important. Everyone should have the same opportunity to take advantage of the digital world in which we now live.

It is important that the voluntary sector, the business community, the Government and the public sector are all working together on the issue. That is the solution going forward, and it will be at the heart of the new strategy. I very much welcome the partnership that was announced just last week, I think, between Virgin Media O2 and citizens advice bureaux. The Scottish Government has assisted that partnership, which will deliver thousands of free smartphones to vulnerable groups in Scotland. That shows what can be achieved by working together, and we have to support such initiatives going forward.

Keeping Scotland at the forefront of digital literacy and innovation is a priority that will enable Scotland to pioneer the industries of the future. Can the Minister say more about Scotland’s upcoming innovation week and about how we can maintain the momentum, both for our economy and for our society?

The member raises a good point. I am very excited by Scotland’s first national innovation week, which will take place later this month. I hope that members will pay attention to it. It will display and showcase a lot of the amazing innovation that is under way in every single corner of Scotland.

Digital inclusion is an important area that can be supported by digital innovations. Over the past couple of years, I have met people in many companies that are working on new devices, software and so on that can benefit people who may be harder to reach. The member raises a very important dimension to national innovation week, noting Scotland’s track record and pedigree in innovation.