'There's perfectly good stuff going on, but it's not joined up' says chair of Lords Digital Skills Committee after Vaizey grilling

Morgan finds Minister of State for Culture and the Digital Economy's evidence on ICT, competitiveness and skills in the UK 'constructive, but predictable'

Earlier this week, the House of Lords Digital Skills Committee called Nick Boles MP, Minister of State for Skills and Equalities, and Ed Vaizey MP, Minister of State for Culture and the Digital Economy to give evidence on information and communications technology, competitiveness and skills in the UK.

It was the last session of its kind in a process lasting a number of months during which the committee spoke to all manner of experts and technology end users across the country.

The committee chair, Baroness Morgan of Huyton - who had been head of Ofsted before being fired by now ex-education minister Michael Gove earlier this year - described Vaizey's and Boles' input as "constructive but predictable".

Vaizey in particular seemed more concerned with asserting his desires to "step up" to a new post of Minister of State for Digital Skills if his party won the next election, while Boles made it clear that his main reason for attending the session was generally "to support Ed Vaizey", Baroness Morgan told Computing.

While Vaizey, perhaps correctly, identified the UK as "the technology leader of Europe" during his address, his tone tended towards complacency. At one point he said: "Never underestimate our children's ability to educate themselves" when asked why digital literacy was still so generally low across the country.

And on the practical matter of policy implementation Vaizey admitted that many of the groups within government tasked with improving IT across the UK are still "working in silos".

After the session Baroness Morgan joined Computing to discuss the proceedings and the committee's findings so far.

"I found their words constructive, but predictable," she said, with a wry smile.

"There's lots and lots of perfectly good stuff going on, and some of it's very exciting, but it's not happening everywhere, and it's not joined up sufficiently, and we've had a range of witnesses who are concerned that there's not sufficient urgency or priority."

'There's perfectly good stuff going on, but it's not joined up' says chair of Lords Digital Skills Committee after Vaizey grilling

Morgan finds Minister of State for Culture and the Digital Economy's evidence on ICT, competitiveness and skills in the UK 'constructive, but predictable'

During the enquiry the Committee has had the opportunity to consult with various bodies, experts, education centres as well as Ministers. Asked if she was convinced by the two Ministers' insistence that things were going as planned, Baroness Morgan replied that she felt that things could be made clearer.

"There's a lack of clarity as to where you go to for what," said Baroness Morgan.

"Where things are happening well, that's brilliant, but where they're not happening well, and you're in a location where things are not moving forward, it's not very clear from what we've heard so far how that's going to change, or why it's going to change."

But one issue that the Committee has become far more aware of since the beginning of the enquiry is cyber security.

"I think we're more aware of it than we were when we started. To be frank, when we started it was not on our list of starting points, but it's become [more important] as we've gone on," admitted Baroness Morgan.

Of particular concern, Baroness Morgan explained, was whether public fears over cyber threats, stoked by media headlines, might affect the uptake of digital services such as online banking.

"Are people more scared of doing their bank accounts online because they wonder if it's secure enough? And how do we make sure that people are secure, and know they have to be, and make the technology accessible to them?"

But Baroness Morgan is at least satisfied that the UK "is rather good at it", despite lacking "skilled people" to carry out cyber security.

"The opportunities for UK Plc are rather large on cyber security," she said.

Baroness Morgan believes much more needs to be done to recognise vocational training, particularly in a part-time setting, as an alternative to traditional routes.

"We're not terribly good at that in the UK at the moment," she said.

"There's expectation you're in further education for a year or two, and then you do a three-year degree or whatever, and I think actually we're almost better at part-time, traditional academic courses than we are at vocational [in the UK].

"I was looking at some evidence the other day saying our degree courses are - if anything - more focused on three years now because that's where the student loan is. Things always follow the money. The system at the moment isn't set up to deliver the nimbleness, or range of courses."

Computing asked Baroness Morgan what, in her view, is top of the list when it comes to equipping the nation for the digital future.

"I'd say the most serious issue is the upgrading of schools, actually," she replied, citing evidence gathered by the Committee.

"In addition to numeracy and literacy, you need digital skills. That doesn't mean necessarily coding, which people always seem to talk about. If you teach digital well, it teaches creativity, and working in groups and collaboration, and project work.

"Employers seem to be crying out for that, but we're not really embedding it in our schools at the moment.

'There's perfectly good stuff going on, but it's not joined up' says chair of Lords Digital Skills Committee after Vaizey grilling

Morgan finds Minister of State for Culture and the Digital Economy's evidence on ICT, competitiveness and skills in the UK 'constructive, but predictable'

"Clearly we have a gap at a very high level - the top geek level, if you like. But we can plug that relatively quickly if we appeal to, say, physicists to do it."

Baroness Morgan said evidence from the OECD [Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development] in particular was "quite concerning" - showing that the over-55s in the UK are now often more IT literate than 18-24 year olds.

"That seems quite counter-intuitive, and obviously comes back to the school system," she said.

"It may be a legacy of poor maths, or a legacy of poor foundations, but nevertheless we have a big jump to do in which to upscale generally," added Baroness Morgan.

Finally, on the matter of digital exclusion, Baroness Morgan said there are "a significant group of people who don't have access to broadband at home - not because the infrastructure wouldn't work, but because they can't afford it".

"We've run out of time, and this is my personal view but there's a certain irony that people have to go to libraries when they're being closed all over the place," she added.

However one particular school offers a potential solution - a Wi-Fi signal so strong it provides connectivity "for half a mile" outside its perimeter, the Baroness explained.

"It's a fabulous idea," she enthused, before saying that other findings from the enquiry are revealing "what role the government has in offering public amenities to make sure the public can access broadband".

Listening to Baroness Morgan's reflections after the rather typical political "performance" of Vaizey and Boles beforehand was revealing. The Lords clearly have a good understanding of the UK's deficits in digital skills and opportunities and can offer a unique and more grounded opinion than their counterparts in the Commons as to possible solutions to these issues.

"There have been a lot of expert committees looking at this, but it's not been understandable for most of the general public, or even most parliamentarians," said Baroness Morgan.

"So I think our job is partly to translate, and ask questions on behalf of people."