Artificial Intelligence: Legislation

Debate between Baroness Lloyd of Effra and Viscount Camrose

Thursday 16th July 2026 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Lloyd of Effra (Lab)]

My noble friend is absolutely right to highlight the fact that AI technology is with us today. It is absolutely right that, as he mentioned, we support all parts of society—children, students, workers—to understand this, discern it and use it wisely. That is why we are also developing our digital skills programme and ensuring that everybody can benefit from this transformative technology.

[Viscount Camrose (Con)]

My Lords, we understand the Government’s policy of placing most of the burden of AI regulation on to existing sectoral regulators, but the cyber security and resilience Bill will create new burdens for those regulators. The Minister will accept that this is collectively an extremely significant expansion of those regulators’ powers and workload. First, are any further additions planned? Secondly, are the Government taking steps to ensure those regulators have the necessary skills and resources? Thirdly, is the new Prime Minister aware of and supportive of this approach?

[Baroness Lloyd of Effra (Lab)]

The noble Viscount is right that the cyber security and resilience Bill will indeed place new obligations on regulators, but that goes hand in hand with the support and the changes in funding and fee recovery that they will be able, after consultation, to enact. They are also supported by the technical authority of the NCSC, which provides them with advice on this. It is obviously the nature of all regulatory activities that they must take into account developments in society and the economy, and the transformative impact of AI. The Regulatory Innovation Office supports regulators to look at how they can adopt AI themselves to improve their regulatory efficiency, as well as looking at developments in their own sectors.

Employment: Artificial Intelligence

Debate between Baroness Lloyd of Effra and Viscount Camrose

Monday 13th July 2026 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Lloyd of Effra (Lab)]

We are supporting young people to get into work. We are supporting youth employment through the changes to the youth guarantee and to the growth and skills levy, so that we can provide work and training places in jobs. We can support businesses hiring those young people, so that they get the opportunity of the experience of work and of the changing labour force, and can be supported through that.

[Viscount Camrose (Con)]

I welcome the Government providing a great deal of skills education, but I do not see how the Government know what skills the marketplace is looking for in AI, particularly in the situation in which we find ourselves, where the recruitment marketplace has been so badly damaged by the misapplication of AI that the market signals on what skills are actually required are not getting through. What does the AI Economics Institute think about this and how will the incoming Prime Minister take this forward?

[Baroness Lloyd of Effra (Lab)]

The Government have set up the future of work unit and have built on that with the AI Economics Institute precisely to examine the changes in the labour market and the changes to jobs—whether that is sector-specific changes or changes to particular cohorts, such as if women are particularly affected—and to then determine what action should be taken in that resolve. That is exactly what we are doing; we are being very active in understanding the technological change coming.

Wireless Telegraphy Act 2006 (Directions to OFCOM) (Revocation) Order 2026

Debate between Baroness Lloyd of Effra and Viscount Camrose

Tuesday 7th July 2026 Grand Committee

[Viscount Camrose (Con)]

My Lords, I too thank the Minister for her introduction. This is indeed a short and straightforward instrument, but certainly one worth a little bit of careful thought because of its real strategic importance. As we have heard, the Government propose to revoke the 2010 directions to Ofcom. The directions were originally issued to support the release of additional spectrum for next-gen mobile broadband. The directions have now served their purpose, and the Government, completely plausibly, argue that they are redundant.

Certainly, on the face of it, this revocation is sensible. The 2010 framework was designed for a very specific moment in the evolution of mobile networks. The market has moved on, Ofcom’s regulatory toolkit has matured, and spectrum management now operates under a more flexible and market-driven regime. Removing obsolete directions is, in principle, good housekeeping.

However, it is worth briefly pausing to consider and to put a couple of questions. Spectrum is a national strategic asset. The stability and predictability of the regulatory environment underpinned billions of pounds of private investment, and the balance of responsibility between Ministers and Ofcom must, of course, be handled with care.

I will put two questions to the Minister. First, how does this revocation sit within the Government’s wider spectrum strategy? The questions posed by the noble Lord, Lord Clement-Jones, were absolutely right in this respect. The UK faces increasing pressure on spectrum availability, from 5G and 6G deployment, satellite services, defence requirements and emerging industrial uses. Removing a set of directions is tidy, but more broadly, do the Government have a long-term strategic plan for spectrum allocation, resilience and competitiveness? If so, how does the instrument fit into that strategic plan?

Secondly, what assurances can the Minister give that revocation will not inadvertently reduce investment certainty? The 2010 directions were introduced precisely to give operators confidence during a period of rapid technological transition. We must ensure that today’s decision does not create ambiguity at a time when the UK needs sustained private investment in digital infrastructure.

Of course, we do not oppose the instrument, but we ask the Government to demonstrate that revocation is part of a coherent strategy, not simply administrative pruning. Ofcom must have the clarity it needs, operators must have the certainty they expect, and Parliament must have confidence that spectrum policy is being managed with foresight rather than drift. I look forward to the Minister’s response.

[Baroness Lloyd of Effra (Lab)]

I thank noble Lords and the Committee for their support for this housekeeping measure to remove an obsolete direction. The direction was fully implemented and cast for its time. As noble Lords have indicated, technology has moved forward, as indeed has the state of mobile coverage and other investment.

The noble Lord, Lord Clement-Jones, specifically asked, “Why now?” We want to ensure that obsolete regulations are not in place. We have heard from the market that there is a possibility that having active obsolete regulations could provide a lack of clarity and could potentially lead to legal challenge. That is why we want to make this move now. Ofcom last revised annual fees last year and new ones are envisaged in the next year, so we are doing it now to provide clarity before then.

On the framework for spectrum, I heartily agree with the points that the noble Viscount, Lord Camrose, and the noble Lord, Lord Clement-Jones, made about the importance of spectrum. We designated an updated statement of strategic priorities in April this year; it set out our priorities across telecoms, the Post Office and, of course, spectrum, including the Government’s policy direction to Ofcom for spectrum. It touched on a number of the important matters that noble Lords have raised, including the importance of growth, innovation and the multiple uses of spectrum. This is very much a housekeeping matter in the context of that wider discussion, and it will have no impact other than that. It supports a clear and coherent framework for spectrum management, and it gives certainty to the regulators and the industry.

On certainty for investment, investment is currently at high levels. For example, the investments being made by mobile phone companies in stand-alone 5G are significant. It is being commercially led and there is committed investment in that area, such that Ofcom reports that, as of January 2026, stand-alone 5G was available outside 93% of premises across the UK—an increase of 10 percentage points since July 2025. The stability and certainty of that regulatory framework is indeed important. With that, I commend the instrument to the Committee.

Social Media: Substances Unfit for Human Consumption

Debate between Baroness Lloyd of Effra and Viscount Camrose

Wednesday 17th June 2026 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Lloyd of Effra (Lab)]

The noble Lord is right that the Online Safety Act already covers illegal content and child safety duties. Those duties are in force. Ofcom is now turning its focus to the additional duties for categorised services, which will include protections against fraudulent advertising. We are expecting Ofcom’s consultation on the additional duties next month, which should cover a number of the issues that the noble Lord raises.

[Viscount Camrose (Con)]

My Lords, to pick up on the point that was well made by the noble Baroness, Lady Bull, sellers of unapproved SARMs routinely use labels in their advertising such as “not for human consumption”, while simultaneously promoting their physique-enhancing effects elsewhere on social media. Since sophisticated AI advertising tools allow sellers to target consumers with almost perfect precision, these tricks are actually no less effective than openly advertising illegal products. Can the Minister tell us who is responsible for enforcing against this and what progress they are making?

[Baroness Lloyd of Effra (Lab)]

Where it is claimed that products are sold for research purposes only, that does not prevent regulatory action where the available evidence suggests that they are in fact unauthorised medicines intended for human use. If the product is classified as a medicine and is not appropriately authorised, the MHRA can take compliance and enforcement action.

Artificial Intelligence: National Security Implications

Debate between Baroness Lloyd of Effra and Viscount Camrose

Tuesday 16th June 2026 Lords Chamber

[Viscount Camrose (Con)]

My Lords, I very much welcome the proposal of the noble Lord, Lord Tarassenko, for sovereign AI capability here. But I would welcome a great deal more clarity from the Government on what exactly they mean by sovereign AI. Does it mean a complete sovereign stack of hardware, software and data? Does it mean AI capability being sovereign, as the Tony Blair Institute suggested, or some variation of that? Until there is a clear definition, it will be very difficult to understand the way forward.

[Baroness Lloyd of Effra (Lab)]

Sovereignty is not just about controlling AI models. It is about building leverage over key parts of the value chain and bringing to the table technologies that no one else can live without. It is about looking at where the UK has competitive strengths and where we can support our most promising sectors and start-ups, whether through financial investment, support for R&D or support with visas and so on. We have identified five priority areas: compute efficiency and sovereign architecture; next generation AI labs and model development; AI for health and life sciences; AI for scientific discovery; and AI trust, integrity and assurance. Those are the areas in which we think the UK has a competitive advantage.

Online Hate Speech

Debate between Baroness Lloyd of Effra and Viscount Camrose

Tuesday 16th June 2026 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Lloyd of Effra (Lab)]

The importance of accurate, trusted news is essential. The noble Baroness touched on many different matters in her question. In respect of young people and their access to social media, as I will be talking about shortly, we have put down proposals that will restrict social media platforms in providing content to under-16s. Providing accurate news is hugely important more generally and, as I mentioned on the previous question, we are looking at the role that algorithms play in social cohesion and the spread of online hate. The noble Baroness raises the very important point of media literacy, and we are working with young people and more generally through our media literacy plan to improve the ability of all people, whether young or old, to discern misinformation and disinformation in this important area.

[Viscount Camrose (Con)]

My Lords, online hate speech is not solely created by individual users. It is also generated and amplified by malicious state actors using algorithmic methods to inflame tensions and to undermine our social cohesion. So as the Government prepare to strengthen the Online Safety Act to require platforms to act more quickly during a crisis, can the Minister give us some idea of what might constitute such a crisis? In particular, do the criteria include evidence of co-ordinated algorithmic attacks, increasingly referred to as “cognitive warfare”?

[Baroness Lloyd of Effra (Lab)]

The noble Lord raises the importance of being attentive and aware of the potential for foreign states to spread disinformation online, and through the Online Safety Act we have made the foreign interference offence from the National Security Act a priority offence that places clear legal duties on services to proactively assess risks, prevent users encountering foreign interference content and remove it swiftly where it appears. Ofcom set out in its publication last week some of the answers to the specific questions about definitions that the noble Viscount raises, but I am happy to write to him afterwards if that does not fully complete the answer to his question.

Artificial Intelligence: Impact on Employment

Debate between Baroness Lloyd of Effra and Viscount Camrose

Monday 13th April 2026 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Lloyd of Effra (Lab)]

My noble friend is right that there may be differential impacts throughout the labour market. ONS analysis suggests that administrative roles may see greater transformation from AI, while our AI adoption research shows that marketing, administration and IT are the most common areas of current or planned use. The AI and the Future of Work Unit is monitoring sectoral and distributional impacts, including on gender and region. We will support those through the commitment to upskill 10 million people by 2030 and, alongside the Women in Tech Taskforce, to champion diversity in the UK tech sector.

[Viscount Camrose (Con)]

My Lords, I declare my technology interests as set out in the register. We should be cautious about the assumption that improved AI skills alone will enable job seekers to adapt to a changing labour market. The misapplication of AI in recruitment often generates unmanageable volumes of synthetic job applications, making it impossible to identify genuinely qualified candidates. Without an efficiently functioning recruitment market, the Government’s efforts to boost employment will be even less effective than they currently are, so will the Minister please encourage the future of work unit to look into the matter urgently?

EU Digital Services Act and Regulation

Debate between Baroness Lloyd of Effra and Viscount Camrose

Wednesday 11th March 2026 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Lloyd of Effra (Lab)]

Our approach is to have regulators who are sector-specific and have the expertise to look at how AI is affecting the companies they regulate and its impact.

[Viscount Camrose (Con)]

My Lords, many digital harms such as disinformation and illegal or fraudulent content operate across borders. In that light, can the Minister enlarge on the practical measures the Government are pursuing with the European Union to assure effective cross-border enforcement of our respective digital regulations, particularly with respect to Ofcom’s work with those responsible for enforcing the Digital Services Act?

[Baroness Lloyd of Effra (Lab)]

Ofcom and the EU have an agreement and talk frequently about regulatory co-operation. Ofcom is also a member of a global network of regulators, so it can share best practice and welcome further co-operation.

UK Space Economy

Debate between Baroness Lloyd of Effra and Viscount Camrose

Wednesday 11th March 2026 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Lloyd of Effra (Lab)]

Absolutely. One of the great pleasures of covering civil space is the enormity of expertise in our universities and companies. Almost everybody you meet is doing something ground-breaking and impressive. I would be very happy to meet the people suggested by my noble friend.

[Viscount Camrose (Con)]

My Lords, events in Ukraine and Iran are showing the growing military defence importance of satellite communication, navigation and earth observation systems. Given our strengths here in the UK in satellite manufacture and space data services, does the Minister agree that the UK space sector is particularly well suited to dual-use applications that support both economic growth and defensive capability? If so, is now the moment for the Government to look for further ways to promote investment in our satellite manufacturing sector?

[Baroness Lloyd of Effra (Lab)]

The noble Viscount makes an important point. The two priorities of our space policy are economic growth and national security; they are priorities for the whole of government and are central to our approach to space. I co-chair the Space Ministerial Forum with my colleague from the Ministry of Defence, bringing that whole-of-government approach to this important issue. In the speech I made last week on our four priorities, satellite communication was one of them; it is a real priority for the Government.

Superintelligent AI

Debate between Baroness Lloyd of Effra and Viscount Camrose

Monday 26th January 2026 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Lloyd of Effra (Lab)]

As I mentioned at the start, there is a lot of debate about the pathway that AI development will take and the pace at which it is developing. The AI Security Institute has reported a sharp rise in AI capabilities over the past 18 months, with continued growth almost certain, and it is looking at the implications of this. For example, one of its research focuses is tracking the development of AI capabilities that would test the limits of human control, which is one of the most pertinent questions for anybody thinking about the implications of superintelligence.

[Viscount Camrose (Con)]

My Lords, I want to build on the very important point raised by the noble Lord, Lord Hunt. Given that AI research and development can be conducted, in effect, anywhere, regulation of the development of superintelligent AI is going to have to be global. Does the Minister feel that the UK is genuinely taking full advantage of our considerable convening power in this space to drive forward the global AI safety agenda? Further, might there be grounds for concern that our convening power may be diminished over time by the emerging political uncertainty that came to the fore over the weekend?

[Baroness Lloyd of Effra (Lab)]

The Government have forged many extremely successful relationships; as evidenced, for example, by the number of trade deals secured over the past 18 months or so. These relationships with the EU, the US, India, France and many other countries include discussions on AI. In addition, the UK is the co-ordinator on related questions for the International Network for Advanced AI Measurement, Evaluation and Science, which aims to shape and advance the science of AI evaluations globally. Our engagement is on all levels, and specifically on the technical level. The noble Viscount makes an extremely important point. This is an effort of global development, so it is important that we engage with developers globally and with other countries.

Technology Adoption Review

Debate between Baroness Lloyd of Effra and Viscount Camrose

Monday 15th December 2025 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Lloyd of Effra (Lab)]

In many areas—in fact, the entire industrial strategy and particularly the Technology Adoption Review—that has been done in concert with the private sector. It is an incredibly important part of the approach. To take one example, the skills package in construction takes that approach forward; both the private and public sectors are putting themselves forward together to provide more opportunities for young people. That is the approach that we will take across digital and AI skills, as I mentioned.

[Viscount Camrose (Con)]

I draw noble Lords’ attention to my technology interests, as set out in the register. What assessment have the Government made of the critique of the CBI and others that their technology adoption plans are too fragmented? Does the Minister agree that, without strong co-ordination across different technology adoption initiatives, we will be unable either to assess their collective impacts or to learn their individual lessons?

[Baroness Lloyd of Effra (Lab)]

The technology review and many others have identified that there is no silver bullet in respect of technology adoption. What is needed in the creative industries is perhaps completely different from what is needed in the energy sector, for example. The review’s approach and its adoption into the industrial strategy is to match the needs of a particular sector with a set of technological or digital approaches. Beneath that are some common themes—for example, on skills, connectivity or infrastructure. We have to look at it in that way: measures cut across the economy and specific measures are suited to subsectors.

Children: Social Media

Debate between Baroness Lloyd of Effra and Viscount Camrose

Wednesday 10th December 2025 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Lloyd of Effra (Lab)]

The noble Lord cites some important evidence which, along with other evidence about the links between social media use and different cohorts of young people, young adults and so on, is very important. The Government and Ofcom are looking at that carefully. As I said before, we continue to keep open all the issues here to protect children from unsafe content, while allowing them to participate actively in the digital world, which can provide many opportunities to young people and much education.

[Viscount Camrose (Con)]

My Lords, screen addiction is a growing problem for all ages, but far more so for children. In July, Peter Kyle, the former Secretary of State for DSIT, committed to bringing forward proposals in the autumn to restrict children’s screen time. Since the reshuffles, we have heard no more about those proposals. Can the Minister clarify this point today? Will the Government be bringing forward a package along the lines set out by the former Secretary of State?

[Baroness Lloyd of Effra (Lab)]

We are focusing on implementation of the Online Safety Act: protecting children from harmful content, backing Ofcom as it goes through the children’s risk assessments of the platform operators, and ensuring that the duties that came in in July are effective. That is the priority for the time being. As I said, we are looking at the evidence and assessing what other measures may be needed. If we need to do so in due course, we will do so.

Mobile Phone and Broadband Prices

Debate between Baroness Lloyd of Effra and Viscount Camrose

Tuesday 9th December 2025 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Lloyd of Effra (Lab)]

There are very important roles for our regulators. There are also very important governance systems in place that govern how regulators work and how they are accountable to Parliament. I do not think there is any case at present to take the action my noble friend suggests.

[Viscount Camrose (Con)]

My Lords, in May, the Vodafone-Three merger was completed, reducing the number of mobile operators in the country from four to three. Building on the question from my noble friend Lord Vaizey, six months on from the merger, what is the Government’s assessment of its impact, first on consumer prices and secondly on investment in the infrastructure that improves both the digital economy and rural connectivity?

[Baroness Lloyd of Effra (Lab)]

As part of that merger, there was a commitment to invest £11 billion in infrastructure. That is a very important part of the continued rollout of our digital infrastructure, and it is monitored through Ofcom’s Connected Nations report, which is published regularly.

Online Safety Act 2023 (Priority Offences) (Amendment) Regulations 2025

Debate between Baroness Lloyd of Effra and Viscount Camrose

Thursday 4th December 2025 Grand Committee

[Baroness Lloyd of Effra (Lab)]

My Lords, I thank noble Lords for their broad support for adding these offences to the priority offences list. This is an important step in improving the online safety regime and improving the environment in which we all use the internet, particularly children and vulnerable people. This will help fulfil the Government’s commitment to improving online safety and strengthening protections for women and girls.

On the points made by the noble Lord, Lord Addington, about tone and proactivity, it is really important that we communicate what we are doing, both in the online world and in terms of violence against women and girls in the physical world. We know that we must all do more to tackle misogynistic abuse, pile-ons, harassment and stalking, and the Government’s whole approach to tackling violence against women and girls is an active one and is something that we have real, serious goals on. We welcome everyone supporting that move forward. For example, the publication of Ofcom’s guidance, A Safer Life Online for Women and Girls, sets out the steps that services can take to create safer online spaces, and the Government will be setting out our strategy for tackling violence against women and girls in due course as part of that. I think that the publication of Ofcom’s report this morning, which sets out the activity that it has taken and will take, will help raise the profile, as the noble Lord says, about what is expected of services in terms of the urgency and the rigour with which these changes are made.

On the question of VPNs, which we talked about a little earlier, we do not have a huge amount of information or research about their use, particularly by young people to circumvent age assurance. We know that there are legitimate reasons to use VPNs, and we do not have a huge amount of evidence about their use by young people, either very young people or older teenagers. Ofcom and the Government are committed to increasing the research and evidence for how VPNs are being used and whether this is indeed a way that age assurance is being circumvented, or whether it is for what might be legitimate reasons, such as security or privacy reasons. That is an important piece of the evidence puzzle to know exactly what measures to take subsequently.

[Viscount Camrose (Con)]

I am particularly interested in whether it is a legitimate defence for a platform to say, “We could not have prevented this access because a VPN was in use”, and therefore whether it falls to the platforms themselves to figure out how to prevent abuse via VPNs.

Artificial Intelligence Legislation

Debate between Baroness Lloyd of Effra and Viscount Camrose

Monday 17th November 2025 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Lloyd of Effra (Lab)]

The noble Lord asks a very good question about our sovereign capabilities. The Sovereign AI Unit’s remit spans the full AI stack, including large language models. Our priority is to secure UK access to the best models, including by deepening strategic partnerships and remaining open to backing UK companies to compete. However, we are focusing our efforts where there is greater opportunity for the UK to advance its strategic position in AI, looking across the value chain. This could mean supporting companies developing narrow models in high-impact sectors in which the UK has strengths, such as defence or drug discovery, or backing paradigm-shifting approaches in computing that can outperform incumbents.

[Viscount Camrose (Con)]

My Lords, in September the Government announced plans for a national digital identity system—a policy that will have very profound implications for the safe use of AI, particularly agentic AI. Can the Minister confirm that the interaction between the Government’s digital identity scheme and AI systems will be explicitly included within the scope of the consultation? If not, can the Minister commit to ensuring that it is?

[Baroness Lloyd of Effra (Lab)]

The noble Viscount asks about digital ID, as he highlights a proposal which was announced a few months ago. Digital ID will help make it easier for people to access the services they are entitled to and prevent illegal working. It will streamline interactions with the state, saving time and cutting frustrating paperwork. A public consultation on the digital ID will launch in the coming few weeks, to ensure the system is secure, trusted and inclusive. I will take back his specific question on the coverage of the consultation coming up.

Protection of Children Codes of Practice

Debate between Baroness Lloyd of Effra and Viscount Camrose

Thursday 30th October 2025 Lords Chamber

[Viscount Camrose (Con)]

My Lords, not much we debate in your Lordships’ House unites us so thoroughly as our shared recognition that children must be protected from harmful online content and behaviours. I am delighted that we are as one when it comes to the importance of shielding young people from extreme pornography, content promoting self-harm or suicide, or other serious risks.

This makes it all the more important to scrutinise how the Government and Ofcom have chosen to implement these protections. The role of the draft codes of practice, laid in April this year and brought into effect in July, is to translate Parliament’s intentions into practical rules for service providers. As the noble Lord, Lord Russell, set out so clearly, there are some serious concerns about whether these codes are achieving their stated objectives, and I thank the noble Lord, Lord Clement-Jones, for bringing this important Motion to the House today and for giving us the chance to air our views.

There is some evidence that the codes are being applied in a way that risks overreach and unintended consequences. Some platforms, such as X and Reddit, in attempting to comply, blocked wide-ranging content, including parliamentary debates on grooming gangs and posts relating to the wars in Ukraine and Gaza. Several experts have warned that such overapplication risks stifling legitimate public debate. It has even been suggested that some platforms deliberately overapply some rules as a way to influence government towards weakening them.

The Act was always designed to respect freedom of expression—political and otherwise—while protecting internet users, especially children, from harm. The Government’s own guidance confirms this, but clearly the practical effect has not always to date reflected that intent.

There also exist concerns about the complexity and accessibility of the codes. Platforms, parents and of course children themselves in some instances may struggle to understand what duties are required and how to enforce them. The guidance is hundreds of pages long and, while Ofcom has issued advice on risk assessments and age-verification measures, there is a real danger that the practical realities of compliance, particularly for smaller providers, leave gaps in protection. Complexity should not become a barrier to the very protections these codes are meant to provide.

We have also been discussing the iterative approach taken by Ofcom. Presenting the codes as a first step, to be refined over time, is in principle essential, for two reasons. The first is that, as we know, this is a pioneering piece of legislation and we must remain open to adapting it. The second is that I am afraid that the people we are up against are inventive users of fast-moving technology.

However, the iterative approach is also clearly creating uncertainty. Civil society organisations have reported that their concerns were not fully addressed during consultation. Children face immediate risks and it is imperative that the Government ensure that these gaps are closed without delay. The noble Lord, Lord Clement-Jones, cited the statistic that a young life aged between 10 and 19 is lost to suicide every week where technology has been a factor. The codes should not act or be viewed as a ceiling for safety standards. Rather, they must set a floor for safety standards and be subject to firm and measurable enforcement.

Enforcement and proportionality are, of course, critical. The Act grants Ofcom significant powers, including fines, criminal liability and restrictions on financial and commercial arrangements. Yet there are practical challenges to ensuring that these powers are applied in a proportionate and evidence-based way. The critical challenge facing the Government as they operate the Act’s machinery is to protect children while avoiding excessive interference with legitimate content and adult access to lawful material.

All that said, we on these Benches do have questions over the Government’s handling of these codes. Our purpose is to challenge the Government to deliver children’s online safety effectively and proportionately. While I welcome the Minister to her place and wish her the very best for her very important role, particularly in this respect, I ask her for some greater clarity, if she is able to provide it, on three strands of Ofcom’s work. First, how will Ofcom monitor implementation by platforms? Secondly, how will it ensure that civil society is genuinely incorporated, and of course that consultees recognise that they have been listened to? Thirdly, how will it address current gaps in coverage without delay?

I am delighted to be participating in this important debate and to have the opportunity to seek these assurances from the Government. We must see rapid action to ensure that the codes protect children in practice, do not inadvertently suppress legitimate debate, and are accessible and enforceable in the real world. I support the scrutiny behind this regret Motion and hope that, when the Minister rises, she will provide answers that reassure us all that the protection of children online is being delivered with both effectiveness and proportionality.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Business and Trade and Department for Science, Information and Technology (Baroness Lloyd of Effra) (Lab)]

My Lords, I thank noble Lords for their valuable contributions today, and I thank the noble Lord, Lord Clement-Jones, for initiating the debate. I absolutely acknowledge the huge expertise in the Room today. I thank the noble Lord, Lord Russell, for his suggestion of further discussions with individual Members.

I found reading the Secondary Legislation Scrutiny Committee’s report an excellent basis for this discussion. That committee plays a very important role, as do other committees, such as the House of Lords Communications and Digital Committee and the House of Commons Science, Innovation and Technology Committee. The role of ongoing scrutiny by all these bodies is absolutely essential. On the matter of the specific committee that the noble Lord, Lord Russell, mentioned, it would be for the House to decide whether that would be set up to monitor this legislation and the codes.

As others have mentioned, we are working closely with Ofcom to monitor the effectiveness of the Online Safety Act. While the early signs are encouraging, the true test will be whether adults and children are having a safer online experience. Ofcom has put in place a robust monitoring and evaluation program, tracking changes firms are making in response to regulation, gathering data from the supervised services and commissioning research to measure impact. Some of that research has been mentioned in the course of the debate. It is quite extensive and provides a lot of information to civil society organisations, Members of this House and others.

What binds us together is the determination to do everything we need to do to keep children safe online, as built on the evidence. That is a priority. The previous Secretary of State, in issuing his statement of strategic priorities, made it clear that the first priority was safety by design. That builds on the safety by design measures within the codes, such as the safer design of algorithms to filter out harmful content from children’s feeds. On 25 July, Ofcom published its statement, setting out what it proposes to do in consequence of that statement of strategic priorities. Under the Act, it must publish further annual reviews of what action it has taken as a result of the statement of strategic priorities, including on safety by design.

We have taken action to strengthen the regulatory framework by making further offences priority offences under the Online Safety Act, reflecting the most serious and prevalent illegal content and online activity—for example, laying an SI to make cyberflashing, encouraging self-harm and the sharing of intimate images without consent priority offences under the Act.

Others have mentioned the importance of basing our decisions on good evidence of what is happening. Recognising that further research was required to improve the evidence base, the Government have commissioned a feasibility study to explore the impact of smartphones and social media use on children.