By Suzanna Kerridge, 18 March 1999 00:15
NEWS UK Cabinet 'enforcer', Jack Cunningham, has announced plans to use technology to help provide government services for the elderly. Labour's 'Better Government' programme will offer computer training to older people who want to take advantage of kiosk-based services which are being proposed for delivering government benefits online. Speaking in the House of Commons, Cunningham said telephone helplines and consultative forums on services will give the elderly a chance to "experience the best of these trailblazers". A Cabinet Office spokeswoman said: "This scheme is about expanding old people's education. Computers are not something they grew up with, but they are now an integral part of today's society. This all links in with our plans for modernising government." But when told the government was planning to have consultative sessions on the practical use of IT for services, one pensioner said: "They're not going to ask me are they? "I don't know a thing about computers and would hate to use them," she told Silicon.com. "I'd much rather speak to a real person than a machine." The Cabinet Office spokeswoman claimed it would not be compulsory for those more comfortable dealing with people than machines.
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