Show Search Form

Search Results

registered interest	true false
date	exactly: or between: and
answering body
answering dept id
answering dept short name
answering dept sort name
hansard heading
house id
legislature	pref label
question text
tabling member constituency
tabling member printed
uin
answer	is ministerial correction true false date of answer exactly: or between: and answer text answering member constituency answering member printed question first answered answering member label
tabling member	label

Search

1701036

registered interest
date	15/04/2024
answering body	Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
answering dept id	216
answering dept short name	Science, Innovation and Technology
answering dept sort name	Science, Innovation and Technology
hansard heading	Internet: Safety
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, if she will hold discussions with the Leader of the House on making parliamentary time available for scrutiny of Ofcom’s guidance on age verification and age assurance before publication of a government response.
tabling member constituency	Buckingham
tabling member printed	Greg Smith
uin	21853
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/04/2024 answer text <p>Parliamentary scheduling is a matter for the Business Managers. <br> <br> The government is focused on implementing the Online Safety Act as quickly as possible. Ofcom published its consultation on draft guidance about use of age assurance for sites displaying pornographic content on 5 December 2023, and this was open for responses until 5 March 2024. The Act requires that Ofcom consult with the Secretary of State before producing this guidance.</p><p>For the broader duties under the Act about protecting children from harmful content, we expect Ofcom to publish its draft codes of practice later in the Spring. The Act requires that codes of practice are laid in both Houses before coming into force.</p> answering member constituency Meriden answering member printed Saqib Bhatti question first answered 23/04/2024 14:54:50 answering member 4818 label Biography information for Saqib Bhatti
tabling member	4778 label Biography information for Greg Smith

1682871

registered interest
date	17/01/2024
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Internet: Safety
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps his Department is taking to help protect young people from online (a) abuse and (b) grooming.
tabling member constituency	Bournemouth East
tabling member printed	Mr Tobias Ellwood
uin	10058
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/01/2024 answer text <p>The Government remains firmly committed to tackling all forms of child sexual abuse online and in our communities across the UK and internationally. Our approach is underpinned by the Tackling Child Sexual Abuse Strategy which sets out firm commitments to drive action across the whole system.</p><p>The Online Safety Act gained Royal Assent in October 2023, and seeks to make the UK the safest place in the world to be online. The Act will for the first time, place clear legal duties on technology companies to take proactive steps to identify, remove and prevent users encountering illegal content, including child sexual abuse, from their platforms. The Government has worked closely with Ofcom to ensure that the implementation period that will be necessary following passage of the legislation is as short as possible.</p><p>Child sexual abuse is named in the act as a priority offence meaning companies must use systems and processes to minimise, remove, and report this content to the NCA or another foreign body. The regulator shall publish codes of practice which will include specific measures on CSEA, setting out how companies will have to comply with their legal duties. Companies must take the steps recommended by Ofcom or take measures that are equally as effective.</p><p>The Home Office continues to work with international Partners to work on law enforcement cooperation to pursue offenders and bring them to justice, and building capacity to combat this complex and evolving threat around the world given the nature of evolving threat</p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Croydon South answering member printed Chris Philp question first answered 22/01/2024 17:31:10 answering member 4503 label Biography information for Chris Philp
tabling member	1487 label Biography information for Mr Tobias Ellwood

1666496

registered interest
date	23/10/2023
answering body	Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
answering dept id	216
answering dept short name	Science, Innovation and Technology
answering dept sort name	Science, Innovation and Technology
hansard heading	Internet: Safety
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether she has made an assessment of the adequacy of age verification and estimation technology for meeting requirements in the Online Safety Bill.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	203841
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/10/2023 answer text <p>Age verification technologies are well developed and already in use across a range of sectors, including financial services and the online sales of age restricted goods. Age estimation technologies are developing rapidly and there are a growing number of privacy-preserving tools being developed that will ensure that platforms know the age of their users and can provide a safe and age-appropriate experience for children.</p><p>Ofcom will set out in its guidance examples of the kinds of age verification and age estimation measures that can be used to meet the duties set out in the Bill – this includes setting out the kinds of technologies that are highly effective in determining whether a particular user is a child for the purpose of protecting children from pornography and other primary priority content that is harmful to children.</p> answering member constituency Sutton and Cheam answering member printed Paul Scully question first answered 25/10/2023 16:04:47 answering member 4414 label Biography information for Paul Scully
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1543054

registered interest
date	16/11/2022
answering body	Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept id	10
answering dept short name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept sort name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
hansard heading	Internet: Safety
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how much from the public purse her Department has spent on (a) staff activity, (b) external research and advice, (c) public consultation and (d) stakeholder engagement on activities related to the Online Safety Bill since May 2018.
tabling member constituency	Manchester Central
tabling member printed	Lucy Powell
uin	88888
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/11/2022 answer text <p>Figures on DCMS’s public spending can be found in DCMS’s Annual Report and Accounts, available on <a href="https://www.gov.uk/" target="_blank">GOV.UK</a>. Spending relating to the Online Safety Bill is a subset of the reported spend of the Security and Online Harms Directorate.</p> answering member constituency Sutton and Cheam answering member printed Paul Scully question first answered 21/11/2022 16:23:05 answering member 4414 label Biography information for Paul Scully
tabling member	4263 label Biography information for Lucy Powell

1518950

registered interest
date	10/10/2022
answering body	Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept id	10
answering dept short name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept sort name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
hansard heading	Internet: Safety
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of the definition of legal but harmful in the Online Safety Bill.
tabling member constituency	Huddersfield
tabling member printed	Mr Barry Sheerman
uin	59033
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/10/2022 answer text <p>The Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport is currently reviewing the adult safety duties and the definition of content that is harmful to adults. This is to ensure that we strike the right balance between protecting users from harmful content online and protecting users’ rights to freedom of expression.</p> answering member constituency Folkestone and Hythe answering member printed Damian Collins question first answered 18/10/2022 09:17:35 answering member 3986 label Biography information for Damian Collins
tabling member	411 label Biography information for Mr Barry Sheerman

1520087

registered interest
date	10/10/2022
answering body	Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept id	10
answering dept short name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept sort name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
hansard heading	Internet: Safety
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department has taken to ensure that the voices and experiences (a) Molly Russell and (b) other children and families will be included in the creation of a new online regulatory system.
tabling member constituency	Solihull
tabling member printed	Julian Knight
uin	59838
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/10/2022 answer text <p>The experience of Molly Russell and her family highlights the importance of holding tech companies to account to keep their users, and in particular children, safe online. The Government has consulted widely, including with parents and children, to develop the new regulatory framework.</p><p>A set of statutory duties will be placed on Ofcom, requiring the regulator to conduct research and consult with users when carrying out their online safety duties. This includes the opinions and experiences of children, parents and families, which Ofcom will use when developing its codes of practice.</p><p>The Bill will also require companies to enable children, and their parents or guardians, to easily report harmful content and, where necessary for those companies to take action.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Folkestone and Hythe answering member printed Damian Collins question first answered 18/10/2022 09:10:12 answering member 3986 label Biography information for Damian Collins
tabling member	4410 label Biography information for Julian Knight

1465676

registered interest
date	25/05/2022
answering body	Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept id	10
answering dept short name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept sort name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
hansard heading	Internet: Safety
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential effects of the Online Safety Bill on requirements for voice recognition or other voice services to (a) remove illegal content from their services and (b) set terms and conditions to address legal but harmful content.
tabling member constituency	Putney
tabling member printed	Fleur Anderson
uin	9185
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/06/2022 answer text <p>The Online Safety Bill will apply to all companies that allow users to post content online or to interact with each other. This will include a broad range of websites, apps and services, some of which will enable voice recognition. The Bill will make sure that the UK is the safest place to be online, requiring all in-scope companies to take robust action against illegal content.</p><p>Additionally, the largest and riskiest services will face additional duties, including specifying in their terms and conditions what measures they are taking for the most harmful content to adults, and must enforce these rules consistently.</p> answering member constituency Croydon South answering member printed Chris Philp question first answered 06/06/2022 13:20:01 answering member 4503 label Biography information for Chris Philp
tabling member	4788 label Biography information for Fleur Anderson

1465051

registered interest
date	23/05/2022
answering body	Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept id	10
answering dept short name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept sort name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
hansard heading	Internet: Safety
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, for what reason Section 103, Chapter 8 of the Draft Online Safety Bill, relating to Media Literacy did not appear in the Online Safety Bill introduced on 11 May 2022; and if she will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Putney
tabling member printed	Fleur Anderson
uin	6934
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/05/2022 answer text <p>Ofcom has an existing statutory duty to promote media literacy under section 11 of the Communications Act (2003). Clause 103 of the draft Online Safety Bill clarified Ofcom’s responsibilities under this duty but did not grant Ofcom any new powers or duties. On 6 December 2021, ‘Ofcom’s Approach to Online Media Literacy’ was published. This strategy document published by Ofcom outlined its plans to expand its media literacy programme in a manner which substantially met the responsibilities set out in the draft Bill. As such, it is no longer necessary to include these clarifications in primary legislation.</p><p>The Online Safety Bill increases Ofcom’s powers relating to media literacy. Ofcom’s transparency reporting and information gathering powers cover media literacy and give Ofcom enhanced oversight on industry spend and activity. DCMS’s Secretary of State has powers to direct Ofcom’s media literacy activity in special circumstances, for example where there is a significant threat to public health as a result of health misinformation. The Bill also directs in-scope companies to consider measures to promote users’ media literacy as part of the risk assessment process.</p><p>Media literacy remains a vital part of the government’s agenda to support online safety. In April 2022 the government published its second Media Literacy Action Plan which sets out an ambitious expansion of its media literacy programme, supported by over £2m of funding.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Croydon South answering member printed Chris Philp question first answered 26/05/2022 07:27:28 answering member 4503 label Biography information for Chris Philp
tabling member	4788 label Biography information for Fleur Anderson

1461641

registered interest
date	10/05/2022
answering body	Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept id	10
answering dept short name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept sort name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
hansard heading	Internet: Safety
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the Online Safety Bill in ensuring that content moderators working for social media companies have adequate mental health support, regardless of their location.
tabling member constituency	Newcastle upon Tyne Central
tabling member printed	Chi Onwurah
uin	241
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/05/2022 answer text <p>The Online Safety Bill will require social media companies to put in place appropriate content moderation systems to comply with their new statutory duties. It does not replace or duplicate existing employment or health and safety laws that may be relevant to companies’ obligations in regards to the health and wellbeing of their employees.</p> answering member constituency Croydon South answering member printed Chris Philp question first answered 16/05/2022 08:31:07 answering member 4503 label Biography information for Chris Philp
tabling member	4124 label Biography information for Chi Onwurah

1452858

registered interest
date	21/03/2022
answering body	Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept id	10
answering dept short name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept sort name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
hansard heading	Internet: Safety
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential effect of the Online Safety Bill on the effectiveness of the regulation of harmful online content.
tabling member constituency	Romford
tabling member printed	Andrew Rosindell
uin	143605
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/03/2022 answer text <p>This legislation will create a significant step-change in the experience people have online. The Bill will tackle illegal content and activity; protect children; and give adults greater control of their online experiences, while protecting freedom of expression. The Bill’s systems and processes approach will hold companies to account for holistically considering the design and operation of their services, rather than just responding to events. As a result the Bill will instil a culture of proactive safety and risk management, which will have a substantial positive impact on the regulation of harmful online content.</p><p>The Regulatory Policy Committee has issued the Online Safety Bill Impact Assessment with a fit for purpose rating. The Impact Assessment estimated, conservatively, that the Bill will need to reduce a subset of quantified online harms by roughly 2% annually to offset the costs created by the Bill.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Croydon South answering member printed Chris Philp question first answered 29/03/2022 10:11:39 answering member 4503 label Biography information for Chris Philp
tabling member	1447 label Biography information for Andrew Rosindell