17 July 2006

The percentage those aged 65 and above who have access to the Internet has remained static, according to charity Help the Aged.

Writing for the e-gov monitor website, David Sinclair, senior policy manager for social inclusion at Help the Aged, highlights figures that show that over the last three years, the number of people in this demographic who have used the Internet has fallen.

As such, Help the Aged claims that the market will not automatically see more people enjoying internet access and that the problem of falling access will "not solve itself".

Addressing the general issue of web accessibility, Mr Sinclair states that it is an "absolute scandal" that "significant numbers" of public websites are failing to meet basic accessibility standards.

Mr Sinclair states that online access to a services will continue to increase and in order to tackle the 'digital divide', the government should set "ambitious targets" for increasing the number of over 65-year-olds who use the Internet.

Earlier this year, Age Concern announced that it would work to raise awareness of the digital divide after research revealed that over 50 per cent of those aged over 50 not having access to a computer.

© Adfero Ltd

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