The Executive's strategy for digital inclusion "Connecting Scotland's People" set out a range of actions to raise awareness; improve access; develop skills; and involve communities. These include:A £5 million initiative which will create over 1,000 points that provide access to the web in a wide range of different types of venue. The focus will be on areas where access is currently poor.A £3.5 million initiative to create pilot "digital communities" in two disadvantaged areas by connecting homes to the Internet.The £1.5 million Digital Champion programme which is providing a network of eight digital "champions" to cover Social Inclusion Partnership (SIP) areas in Scotland. They are working to improve ICT provision in these areas by engaging local people and driving forward local activity.A £1.6 million initiative to develop community ICT facilities in Gorbals and Pollok. They will be aimed at encouraging people from disadvantaged neighbourhoods to take their first steps in experiencing how ICTs and the Internet can have a positive impact on the quality of their lives.A number of other initiatives are also promoting ICT in communities. These include:The New Opportunities Fund has allocated £23 million through its "Community Access to Lifelong Learning" programme. The money is being used to link every public library to the Internet and to improve access to lifelong learning through the use of information and communications technology across Scotland, with the focus on socially excluded adults and communities.£8 million has been made available to the Scottish University for Industry to develop a network of learndirect scotland branded learning centres to enable easier access to ICT learning within communities - 223 learndirect scotland centres have been created so far and the target is to create 300 centres by March 2002. £1.5 million has been made available over three years for IT development in the voluntary sector. Scottish Executive, in partnership with Scottish Enterprise, has contributed £150,000 to launch the Uplift project. Uplift is providing initial computer training for 60 to 70 people around the country who will in turn be able to pass on their skills to other members of their communities. The National Grid for Learning (NGfL) website has a communities channel which has developed a "Guide to Getting Communities Connected". This provides information to help those who wish to promote the use of ICTs in the community. In addition the Executive is providing £530,000 to the "Connecting Communities" project - an ICT training project for community learning practitioners.

The Executive's £1.5 million Digital Champion programme is providing a network of eight digital "champions" to cover Social Inclusion Partnership (SIP) areas in Scotland. They are working to improve ICT provision in these areas by engaging local people and driving forward local activity. The Digital Champions are building on the Audit of ICT initiatives in SIP areas which was commissioned by the Executive (published June 2000, see http://www.scotland.gov.uk/cru/kd01/red/audit01.htm) by mapping ICT initiatives and facilities in detail in SIP areas, and subsequently developing further initiatives where appropriate.The earlier audit identified a total of 90 ICT initiatives within the SIPs and Working for Communities Pathfinders (WfCPs), and a further 60 related initiatives, not directly run or financed by the SIPs or WfCPs, but falling within their areas. In addition the Executive has mapped facilities in Scotland which provide public access to the web - and around 700 have been identified so far. Members of the public can find the nearest place to get on the web via the UK online call centre and a clickable map on the web (see www.scotland.gov.uk/digitalscotland/webaccess). The Executive is also developing proposals to improve the provision of web-based information and exchange of good practice on digital inclusion for practitioners in this field.

The Public Internet Access Points Initiative will see internet-ready PCs being put in places which people already use - for example shops and banks. This £5 million programme aims to create at least 1,000 extra public internet access points in Scotland, more than doubling the current number. The programme will be run on an application basis and church halls will be eligible to apply, as will the other facilities noted in point 42 of the report.Venues will be expected to provide the public with access to the Internet at a cost of no more than £1 per hour.We expect to start shipping the first PCs in the spring of this year.

The Executive's response to point 41 of the task force report has been overtaken by the publication of the Scottish Executive's strategy Connecting Scotland: our broadband future. The aggregated procurement of services for local authorities including schools and the health service is to be tested initially in two pathfinder areas. The further and higher education sectors are currently involved in a separate procurement but have been involved in discussions about future alignment of procurement and drawing on the skills of the further and higher education sector in aggregated procurement.

Several projects funded through the first round of the Modernising Government Fund supported the re-engineering of back office systems and details of progress made on individual projects are available on the 21^st Century Government website. Discussions involving some public sector service providers and private sector partners are also under way to develop innovative proof of concept projects. Bidding Guidance for the second round of the MGF confirmed that Data Sharing, including the integration of front office/back office systems that can facilitate joined up working across organisations, across communities and across the public sector is a key priority to be supported by the fund.

I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-21265.

The Executive's 21^st Century Government Vision clearly lays out the desirability of exploiting new technology where it delivers improved services. The Executive has sought to encourage debate on new delivery channels and the streamlining of internal processes. The Executive hosted a seminar in October 2001 on call centre technology specifically to share best practice about this citizen focussed service delivery channel. Promoting the e-Government Interoperability Framework is also important in seeking to maximise efficiencies across public bodies.

The Scottish Executive is committed to the greater use of on-line consultation. In addition to monitoring the level of Scottish Executive e-consultation activity, it is piloting a number of projects using new technology to increase on-line consultation.

The Scottish Local Government (Elections) Bill allows for alternative methods of voting to be considered with a view to subsequent implementation. The electoral commission have been consulted about pilot proposals. With the International Teledemocracy Centre, based at Napier University, we are now considering specific proposals to run e-voting pilots in two local authorities.

Information on issues relating to authentication and security of electronic transactions over the Internet can be found on the Office of the e-Envoy website.Information on these issues is also contained in the published draft Information Age Government Framework.