Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 3 June 2020
836. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment further to Parliamentary Question No. 949 of 20 May 2020, the status of progress to continue digital skills training to elderly persons; if he has been working with organisations representing older persons in order to continue digital training throughout Covid-19; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9445/20]
View answerSince 2017 the Digital Skills for Citizens Scheme has delivered basic skills to targeted groups of people who do not have the skills or confidence to use the internet, including almost 22,000 people over the age of 65. The current grant agreements with community, voluntary and not-for-profit organisations to deliver training, provide for such training to take place in a classroom setting. In compliance with public health guidance grantees have necessarily cancelled all scheduled classes. The grantees are in receipt of pre-funding of €0.5m to train 5,500 people by 30 June 2020.
In response to the Covid-19 pandemic the Department has extended the completion date for training to 31 December 2020 and has requested that grantees submit proposals to the Department by 30 June on how this training might be delivered in compliance with public health guidance, potentially outside of a classroom setting and with a focus on how to ‘access information’, ‘shop online’ and ‘use video platforms to stay connected’.
