NHS and Government websites should be made free of data prices, ministers told

Sign up for the View from Westminster e mail for professional evaluation straight to your inbox

Get our free View from Westminster e mail

NHS and Government websites should be made free of data prices to make sure the least well-off can use vital public companies on-line, ministers have heard.

Labour MP Simon Lightwood known as for a change within the legislation, requiring all cell phone data suppliers to mark public authority websites as “zero rated”, guaranteeing free entry.

The Wakefield MP urged the Commons to again his Public Sector Websites (Data Charges) Bill, which he stated would assist anybody “no matter their situation” entry companies like Universal Credit and NHS well being info with out depleting their data allowance.

Introducing his Bill by the ten minute rule process, Mr Lightwood stated: “The increasing prevalence of public information and resources being available online is good thing. As a former NHS worker myself, I know it has the capacity to make our public services more efficient, more agile and better value for money for taxpayers.

“But being able to access the NHS website should not be constrained by someone’s financial situation. Likewise, someone on Universal Credit shouldn’t have to worry about not being able to access their account because of their data allowance.

“Simply put, we know that those with the greatest need to access online services are often the ones facing the greatest barriers to do so.”

He stated that through the pandemic operators together with Vodaphone, EE, Virgin Media, O2 and Three “recognised the huge surge in need” and gave their prospects free on-line entry to the NHS web site, Covid info, the NHS App and on-line training assets like BBC Bitesize and the Oak National Academy.

Mr Lightwood added: “This procedure is known as zero-rating, whereby accessing any of these websites would not consume a user’s mobile data allowance.”

The Labour MP stated some have continued zero-rating public websites after the pandemic “after seeing what a vital help it can be for their least well-off customers during the cost-of-living crisis”.

He added: “My Bill very simply proposes that we continue this good work that some operators have already done by extending this precedent into a legal requirement for all network providers operating in the UK.

“By making gov.uk and nhs.uk sites zero rated, we can extend universal free access to the most vital services like Universal Credit, local authority services, and NHS health information for everyone, no matter their financial situation.”

Mr Lightwood’s Bill is about to be thought-about by the Commons once more on May 17, however is unlikely to turn into legislation with out Government help.