In April 2007 Pat gave a speech to the Digital Inclusion Conference in London. To read a full transcript of the speech click on the PDF symbol on the left.

Extract from the Speech:

This agenda is hugely important because as
technology develops, its capacity to empower
people increases. The easy access to information
about prices can help us seek out a bargain in
either good or services.

The 24 hour nature of internet services means they are more accessible
for people juggling with the time pressures of work
and family responsibilities than traditional office
based services. And the access to email, social
networking sites and photo sharing can be crucial in
keeping families and friends in touch when they live
in different parts of the world.

All of this is empowering and liberating for people.
Those a lot smarter than me in this room may know
how some of this is going to develop in the future. I
don’t pretend to be able to predict that but one thing
I do know is that it’s not going to stand still.

There will be new applications, and new ways of
empowering people through technology. And as
people become more empowered by technology in
the future, the question of who has access and who
does not will become more urgent.