Oral Answers to Questions

Baroness Burt of Solihull Excerpts

Thursday 30th January 2014 Commons Chamber

[Bob Blackman (Harrow East) (Con)]

4. What steps her Department is taking to ensure that internet service providers and social media companies tackle and confront the online abuse of women.

[Lorely Burt (Solihull) (LD)]

6. What steps her Department is taking to ensure that internet service providers and social media companies tackle and confront the online abuse of women.

[Stuart Andrew (Pudsey) (Con)]

7. What steps her Department is taking to ensure that internet service providers and social media companies tackle and confront the online abuse of women.

--- Later in debate ---

[Lorely Burt]

Oh behalf of my own party, may I echo the comments of my hon. Friend the Minister? Liberal Democrats do not, and will never, tolerate the abuse of women in the workplace. Does my hon. Friend agree that the abuse of women and others online should be treated in the same way as offline abuse, and will he tell us what he can do about it?

[Mr Vaizey]

Yes, I do agree with the hon. Lady, which is why I welcome the recent convictions of John Nimmo and Isabella Sorley, which clearly demonstrate that threatening or harassing behaviour is illegal, whether online or offline. Last year, the Crown Prosecution Service made 2,000 prosecutions under section 127 of the Communications Act 2003.