Whether it will outline the key achievements of the Digital Citizen Division since its creation in 2022.

The Digital Citizen Unit (DCU) was created in 2022 with the Digital Citizen Division (DCD) forming in 2023. DCD is the team within Scottish Government that manage the Connecting Scotland Programme; Ethical Digital Nation; Unlocking the Value of Data; and the Knowledge and Information Shared Services Unit, which is an operational internal business support unit for Core Scottish Government and some public sector shared services customers, comprised of: Information Assurance and Data Protection; Knowledge and Information Management; and Library and Information Services functions.Since its formation, the DCD has:developed a full business case outlining a more sustainable way forward for Connecting Scotland;developed, in partnership with the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO), new projects that allow us to deliver the next phase of the Connecting Scotland programme. These have been focused on delivering kit and connectivity to device library and social housing organisations via grant award. Applications for the projects closed on 27 November 2023, with £204,000 in grant funding awarded to 34 projects working to further digital inclusion across Scotland.delivered kit and connectivity to 5 place-based projects via grant award. Applications closed in April this year.supporting offboarded Connecting Scotland users to move on to other forms of free internet and undertaking user research to ensure they are supported through this process in a way that meets their needs;developed, in partnership with third-sector partners, an enhanced phoneline for Connecting Scotland that currently provides support to an average of 500 people each month;launched Scotland’s Digital Inclusion Charter to support, guide and recognise best practice in digital inclusion work in Scotland;developing the Digital Inclusion Alliance to bring together the public, private, and third sectors to tackle digital exclusion;commissioned research into a Minimum Digital Living Standard for Scotland. Once complete this will give us a baseline of the minimum needs of citizens and help us shape and target future interventions.developed a cohesive and practical approach to ethics that will allow us to harvest the most significant economic and social benefits while mitigating the perceived and actual downsides of digital innovation and data-driven technology.mobilised a public engagement panel / public dialogue on the use of data which led to the development of ethical guidelines for the use of data by the public sector in Scotland.commissioned an Independent Expert Group to explore the issue of private sector use of public sector personal data in Scotland, as public sector data controllers had identified the need for additional support in this area.