Original URL: https://www.theregister.com/1999/11/01/silver_surfers_hit_out_over/

Silver surfers hit out over PC rental scheme

Don't leave out the elderly, UK gov't told

By Tim Richardson

Posted in On-Prem, 1st November 1999 15:26 GMT

The campaigning charity Help the Aged has won assurances from the government that elderly people will not be left out in the cold as the country embraces IT. The charity was responding to the government's latest batch of promises to get Britain wired for Net revolution. In a deal that would make 100,000 cheap-to-rent PCs available to families on low incomes, Help the Aged wanted to know whether this included the elderly. Hilary Carter, a spokeswoman for the charity, said the government's proposals, announced by Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown, made no mention of the helping the elderly. "Gordon Brown failed to mention and include pensioners," said Carter. "He did not refer to older people. "A lot of older people feel they are being left out of the IT revolution. Older people are crying out for access to computers especially since they help break down isolation," she said. Carter reported that education spokesman Michael Wills said that pensioners would be included in the offer adding that the government was going to make a concerted effort to include the elderly in its future plans. ®