UK establishes ministerial group to coordinate digital inclusion

The UK government has published the terms of reference for a new ministerial group created to coordinate digital inclusion policy across departments, aiming to improve access to digital services, technologies and skills.

The Ministerial Group for Digital Inclusion will set the government’s strategic direction, agree a shared vision and identify priorities for improving digital inclusion across the UK.

Its work will focus on embedding digital inclusion into policy design, public service delivery and existing government governance structures. The group will also monitor progress across departments with support from official-level bodies.

The forum brings together ministers responsible for key policy areas affecting digital inclusion, including the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, Department for Business and Trade, HM Treasury, Cabinet Office, Department for Education, Department for Work and Pensions, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Department of Health and Social Care, and Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

The group will not have formal decision-making powers, with policy decisions remaining the responsibility of individual departments. Instead, it will coordinate common approaches and encourage joint action on digital inclusion priorities.

They will meet quarterly and be chaired by Baroness Lloyd of Effra, Minister for Digital Economy. The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology’s Digital Inclusion and Skills Unit will provide secretariat support.

Meetings will review strategy, implementation challenges, departmental cooperation and progress against agreed priorities, with the secretariat responsible for preparing papers and tracking agreed actions.

The ministerial group will be supported by the cross-government Digital Inclusion Strategy Board, while the government plans to publish meeting summaries and keep the group’s role under regular review.

Why does it matter?

Digital exclusion affects access to education, employment, healthcare and public services, making it a cross-government policy challenge rather than the responsibility of a single department. The new ministerial group is intended to improve coordination and ensure digital inclusion is considered more consistently across government.

Its success, however, will depend on whether departments translate shared priorities into funded programmes, measurable outcomes and lasting policy changes rather than treating the forum as a coordination mechanism alone.

Would you like to learn more about AI, tech, and digital diplomacy? If so, ask our Diplo chatbot!