UK Parliament / Open data

Digital Switchover (Disclosure of Information) Bill

The problem is that that is not the case. It depends on when switchover takes place. By the Minister’s own admission, everything finishes one month after BBC1 in analogue disappears. If switchover has taken place, it means that the partially sighted student in this example, perhaps living with75 year-old parents—just to make it even more complicated—would be unable to get help because switchover had already occurred. Perhaps they may move to Whitehaven, to coin a name. The Minister is demonstrating the harshness of this absolute cut-off point. I will read very carefully what has been said. The Minister has made some play of the voluntary networks for disadvantaged people, which I can see has some benefit. However, one needs to look at that further to see the reality, the geographical coverage and so on. I do not know what kind of resource Digital UK plan to put in for this. I think that we have uncovered something that may affect a small number of people, but could act harshly on people in those circumstances. We are a mobile nation. I do not think that the examples that I have given are outlandish. They are perfectly reasonable, but we shall look at what the Minister has said.
Type
Proceeding contribution
Reference
690 c258GC 
Session
2006-07
Chamber / Committee
House of Lords Grand Committee
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