Oral Answers to Questions

Damian Collins Excerpts

Wednesday 9th November 2022 Commons Chamber

[The Prime Minister]

What the Secretary of State and I are jointly focused on is working constructively with the Scottish Government to deliver for the people of Scotland. I am pleased to be meeting the First Minister tomorrow, because that, I think, is what the people of Scotland want to see.

[Damian Collins (Folkestone and Hythe) (Con)]

Q4.   Criminal gangs who are operating to bring people into this country in small boats—an issue that directly affects my constituents of Folkestone and Hythe—are openly using social media platforms to recruit people to use their services. Can my right hon. Friend confirm that the Online Safety Bill will require social media platforms to take effective action to remove this content, and is it also the intention of the Government to bring the Bill back later this month?

[The Prime Minister]

I thank my hon. Friend for his work in raising awareness of this particular issue. He is absolutely right. I am pleased to give him the reassurance that the Online Safety Bill will require platforms to remove and limit the spread of illegal content and activity online. Assisting illegal immigration is listed as a priority offence in the Bill, which we look forward to bringing back to the House in due course.