Contributions
2,978 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDOnline Safety Bill (Seventh sitting)I confirm what the hon. Lady has just said. In response to the hon. Member for Worsley and Eccles South, it is important to say that the duty in clause 19 is “to have regard”,…09 Jun 2022HANSARDOnline Safety Bill (Seventh sitting)As I have said, at the moment there is nothing at all. Platforms such as Facebook can and do arbitrarily censor content with little if any regard for freedom of speech. Some…09 Jun 2022HANSARDOnline Safety Bill (Seventh sitting)That sounds like a very offensive tweet. Could the hon. Lady read it again? I didn’t quite catch it.09 Jun 2022HANSARDOnline Safety Bill (Seventh sitting)I do not want to give an off-the-cuff assessment of an individual piece of content—not least because I am not a lawyer. It does not sound like it meets the threshold of…09 Jun 2022HANSARDOnline Safety Bill (Seventh sitting)A later clause gives Ofcom the ability to levy the fees and charges it sees as necessary and appropriate to ensure that it can deliver the duties. Ofcom will have the power to set…09 Jun 2022HANSARDOnline Safety Bill (Seventh sitting)I give way first to the hon. Member for Aberdeen North—I think she was first on her feet—and then I will come to the hon. Member for Pontypridd.09 Jun 2022HANSARDOnline Safety Bill (Seventh sitting)Let me address some of the issues raised in the debate. First, everyone in the House recognises the enormous problem at the moment with large social media firms receiving reports…09 Jun 2022HANSARDOnline Safety Bill (Seventh sitting)Let me develop the point before I give way. Our first line of defence is Ofcom enforcing the clause, but we have a couple of layers of additional defence. One of those is the…09 Jun 2022HANSARDOnline Safety Bill (Seventh sitting)I should give way to the hon. Member for Aberdeen North first, and then I will come to the shadow Minister.09 Jun 2022HANSARDOnline Safety Bill (Seventh sitting)I think the shadow Minister wanted to intervene, unless I have answered her point already.09 Jun 2022HANSARDOnline Safety Bill (Seventh sitting)As I said explicitly a few moments ago, the hon. Lady is right to point out the fact that the super-complaints process is to address systemic issues. She is right to say that, and…09 Jun 2022HANSARDOnline Safety Bill (Seventh sitting)I thank the hon. Lady for her thoughtful intervention. There are two separate questions here. One is about user advocacy groups helping individuals to make complaints to the…09 Jun 2022HANSARDOnline Safety Bill (Seventh sitting)I will address the review clause now, since it is relevant. If, in due course, as I hope and expect, the Bill has the desired effect, perhaps that would be the moment to consider…09 Jun 2022HANSARDOnline Safety Bill (Seventh sitting)Let me finish the point. It is not a bad idea to review it and see how it is working in practice. Clause 149 already requires a review to take place between two and four years…09 Jun 2022HANSARDOnline Safety Bill (Seventh sitting)On this clause.09 Jun 2022HANSARDOnline Safety Bill (Seventh sitting)Because we need to give the new systems and processes time to take effect. If the hon. Lady felt so strongly that an ombudsman was required, she was entirely at liberty to table…09 Jun 2022HANSARDOnline Safety Bill (Eighth sitting)There are a number of steps to go through. Regardless of how well resourced Ofcom is and how fast it works, first, we have to designate the priority categories by secondary…09 Jun 2022HANSARDOnline Safety Bill (Eighth sitting)I will do my best to make sure that we come to it very quickly indeed, by being concise in my replies on this group of amendments. On amendment 48, which seeks to get Ofcom to…09 Jun 2022HANSARDOnline Safety Bill (Eighth sitting)The fees requirements are in clauses 70 to 76, in particular clause 71, “Duty to pay fees”. The regulated companies have to pay the fees to Ofcom. It is not optional.09 Jun 2022HANSARDOnline Safety Bill (Eighth sitting)The hon. Lady’s use of the word “fundraise” implies that Ofcom will be going around with a collection tin on a voluntary basis.09 Jun 2022