'Digital divide' package announced

A £30.3 million package which will aim to provide home access to a computer and the internet for every child in the UK has been announced by the schools minister.

Jim Knight said that the move was part of the government's £300 million scheme to deal with Britain's "digital divide", which was unveiled by Gordon Brown last month.

The package provides funds for a 12-month pilot scheme in Suffolk and Oldham, an approval system for suppliers and money for local authorities to provide access for "specific groups" of children.

Mr Knight said it was important to provide help for those that needed it most during the economic downturn.

"We cannot let this reinforce social and academic divides and put children in low income families at a further disadvantage," he said.

However, the minister stressed that the programme was not just to help those who could not afford IT equipment.

"It is about selling the educational benefits of home computer and internet access far better to those that can afford it," he explained.

The government's plan was criticised last month by the mayor of London, Boris Johnson, who felt that providing blanket Wi-Fi internet coverage in the capital was preferable.