Asked by: Damian Hinds (Conservative - East Hampshire)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what discussions he has had with Ofcom on the (a) scope, (b) function and (c) remit of the proposed advisory committee on disinformation and misinformation in Section 152 of the Online Safety Act (2023).
Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Online Safety Act provides clear requirements for the Committee’s responsibilities: advising Ofcom on how providers should address mis- and disinformation, and how Ofcom should exercise their transparency powers and fulfil their statutory duty to promote media literacy in relation to mis- and disinformation.
How Ofcom approaches the design of the committee, providing that it is compliant with these legislative requirements, is for it to decide as an independent regulator. The terms of reference for the new Online Information Advisory Committee have now been published and confirm that these duties remain at the heart of its function.
Asked by: Damian Hinds (Conservative - East Hampshire)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, if he will hold discussions with online service platforms on the potential merits of taking steps to ensure that children between 13 and 15 years of age cannot (a) change family safety settings for online devices and (b) turn off their parents' ability to see their online activity without parental consent.
Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The government has high expectations there will be significant change in online experiences for children, as services start to comply with their duties under the Online Safety Act. Ofcom stands ready to act against services who fall short in protecting users.
Ofcom’s final child safety codes outline over 40 measures that providers should consider to protect children online. Ofcom considered parental controls as part of the evidence base that informed these codes.
Ministers have regular meetings with stakeholders, including social media companies, to discuss protecting children online. Details of ministerial meetings are published quarterly on gov.uk.
Asked by: Damian Hinds (Conservative - East Hampshire)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of (a) the Information Commissioner’s Office and (b) Ofcom in assessing how regulated services are enforcing their minimum age limits to ensure children’s safety and data protection.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
In 2024, the ICO updated its Age assurance opinion for the Children’s code, with guidance on what online services must do if they are likely to be accessed by children. We welcome the ICO’s ongoing work to assess how services are applying age assurance measures to identifying child users and through the Data (Use and Access) Bill we are taking steps to require the ICO to have regard to the fact that children merit specific protection.
Under the Online Safety Act services in scope must use highly effective age assurance to prevent children from encountering the most harmful content. Additionally, services which have a minimum age limit must specify in their terms of service how these restrictions are enforced and apply these terms consistently. Ofcom must publish a report on services’ use of age assurance within 18 months of child safety duties coming into effect.
Asked by: Damian Hinds (Conservative - East Hampshire)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what the remit is of the (a) Information Commissioner's Office and (b) Ofcom for algorithmic recommender systems on social media.
Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Information Commissioner’s Office enforces the UK General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 2018. Organisations that process personal data through algorithmic recommender systems are subject to the requirements of the data protection legislation.
Under the Online Safety Act, Ofcom can require social media providers to take proportionate steps relating to the design of their service, to help keep users safe. This includes steps relating to content recommender systems.
Both regulators have various audit and enforcement tools, such as the ability to request information from individuals and issue monetary penalties for non-compliance.
Asked by: Damian Hinds (Conservative - East Hampshire)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what data his Department holds on the numbers of (a) residential customers and (b) business customers that have moved from a PSTN telephone connection to a VOIP connection (i) when their contract expired (II) at the scheduled PSTN switch-off for their area (iii) for any reason in the last 12 months.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Department does not hold this specific information on the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) migration to Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP).
Ofcom’s Connected Nations (2024) report (published 5 December 2024) states: “In the year to July 2024, 1.8 million residential customers who previously had a PSTN line migrated to a VoIP service. 53% (970,000 lines) of these were as a result of a provider-led migration, while the remaining 47% (870,000 lines) were as a result of customer-led migrations.”
The Department separately holds some information on the number of remaining PSTN lines and the number of migrations per quarter for the larger communications providers. As of December 2024, there were circa 6.5 million active PSTN lines remaining.
Asked by: Damian Hinds (Conservative - East Hampshire)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of consumers being required to move to a VOIP connection for a new contract on market competition.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The government is committed to supporting a pro-competition environment in the broadband sector.
The transition to VOIP is being led by industry. The Department is engaging with Ofcom to ensure that the long-term process does not have an adverse impact on wholesale competition.