Social Media Ban for Under-16s

Debate between Baroness Alexander of Cleveden and Baroness Lloyd of Effra

Tuesday 16th June 2026 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Lloyd of Effra (Lab)]

Under-16s will still be able to access the internet and the news in that way. Social media is not the only source of news, nor is it always the most reliable or accurate source. We continue to work with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport to ensure that younger audiences can find and access high-quality, culturally relevant programming and content. We are working to strengthen access to trusted news across the UK as part of the local media action plan, because it is very important that young people can engage with high-quality local and national journalism.

[Baroness Alexander of Cleveden (Lab)]

My Lords, I also welcome the Government’s Statement, their commitment to cross-party working on this and their recognition of the importance of enforcement. I have a question about enforcement. The Statement indicates that Ofcom’s chair and CEO have been asked to carry out an urgent review of its enforcement capabilities. Given Ofcom’s rather patchy record, will there be any external input into its capabilities review? Will it be published? Thereafter, when Ofcom publishes an enforcement strategy, will the initial strategy be published prior to the regulations coming into force in the spring of 2027?

[Baroness Lloyd of Effra (Lab)]

The newly appointed chair of Ofcom has highlighted the importance to him of ensuring that Ofcom has the right capabilities in place. In writing to Ofcom to ask about capabilities and ensuring that there will be sufficient funding, we have emphasised how important that is to us. I will come back to my noble friend on the precise timing of some of these products. In general, the letters we exchange with Ofcom are made public but, if she does not mind, I will come back on her specific three questions.

ExxonMobil: Mossmorran

Debate between Baroness Alexander of Cleveden and Baroness Lloyd of Effra

Monday 24th November 2025 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Lloyd of Effra (Lab)]

We are co-ordinating the scale-up of industries that will shape the future of the North Sea, going as far as wider offshore wind, carbon capture and storage and hydrogen. The Government have committed over £9.4 billion in investment to carbon capture, with a total of £22 billion for hydrogen and carbon capture this Parliament. That is a huge, positive step for our economy and for jobs in the North Sea.

Furthermore, the clean energy jobs plan—which has £20 million of funding from the UK and Scottish Governments—will support oil and gas workers in training to access the opportunities in clean energy to create the jobs of the future. Looking at the last few years, there was a 75% reduction in oil and gas production between 1999 and 2024. So this is a very long-term trend in the availability of carbon products from the North Sea, not something that has happened just in recent times.

[Baroness Alexander of Cleveden (Lab)]

My Lords, I refer noble Lords to my registered interests. I welcome the Minister’s statement, in response to the noble Lord, Lord Fox, about the establishment of a task force, which has happened since the Statement was made in the other place. I declare an interest as a former Industry Minister in Scotland, where there has been experience over the last 25 years of how to respond to closures such as these. Those sorts of task forces, to work well, need to be quickly established, as we have seen in this case. However, they also need to focus as broadly as possible, including on opportunities for outplacement, retraining, preferential access to local colleges, dedicated pathways into other employment opportunities and on the future of the site itself, involving remediation and the possible identification of other investors who would be interested, if not in plastics production, then in associated activity.

For all these reasons, can the Minister confirm the breadth of the scope of the task force? Can she also confirm that His Majesty’s Government will work very closely with the Scottish Government, which have their own PACE initiative—the partnership for continuing employment—in cases such as these?

[Baroness Lloyd of Effra (Lab)]

My noble friend makes some very important points about the importance of swift and collaborative action, partnership with all those who can assist in supporting the workers in this situation and looking at their individual needs and the economic opportunities that are available today, and training them for the future.

She is right that the task force has been established, and my right honourable friend Douglas Alexander met with Fife Council and the Scottish Government earlier today. The Government are committed to working with them to deliver a local response and, more broadly, to mitigate the impact on workers. That will include working with the partnership action for continuing employment and looking to support the 50 employees who are going to be retained to support the decommissioning until 2028, as well as the 50 who are being offered relocation and training packages to Exxon’s other assets.

My noble friend makes a very good point about looking broadly and making sure that this is in the context of the local economy.