In-game Purchases: Protections for Children

Lord Watts Excerpts

Thursday 15th January 2026 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Twycross (Lab)]

The noble Baroness correctly identifies that sometimes our debate does not necessarily keep up with developments. One of the major protections we have in place is the Online Safety Act, which applies to online services that allow users to share content and interact with each other. As I have said in previous responses, the Government keep up to date with developments and keep all options under review.

[Lord Watts (Lab)]

My Lords, is it not the case that gamblers face bigger problems from offshore unregulated sites? What will the Government do to make sure that those are held accountable, given that there has been a massive growth in recent years on such sites?

[Baroness Twycross (Lab)]

My noble friend is referring to what we are doing to tackle the illegal market. As Members of your Lordships’ House will be aware, as part of the Budget the Treasury announced an increase for remote duty but at the same time increased funding to tackle the illegal market. We will be working with the licensed sector on how we increase enforcement—obviously, this will be led by the Gambling Commission—to make sure that we focus on tackling the illegal market, which is an element of the risk that people associate with online activity.

Telegraph Media Group: Ownership

Lord Watts Excerpts

Thursday 16th October 2025 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Twycross (Lab)]

It would be inappropriate for me to comment on any live merger case, as I am sure the noble Lord will be aware. Under the Enterprise Act this is a quasi-judicial process, and it is for the DCMS Secretary of State alone to exercise her statutory powers, based on the evidence and following the established regulatory process. As for publication, I will write to the noble Lord to clarify the points he raises.

[Lord Watts (Lab)]

My Lords, do we not need to review the whole issue of ownership of newspapers in the UK? Bearing in mind that papers such as the Express and the Mail are nothing more than propaganda, do we not need some balance in a democracy, to make sure that people who are rich do not influence our politics too much?

[Baroness Twycross (Lab)]

My noble friend raises an interesting point. The ownership of our media is an interesting area. The tradition of having a broad church of opinions expressed through our media is important, and is one of the cornerstones of our democracy.

Newspapers: Foreign Ownership

Lord Watts Excerpts

Wednesday 16th July 2025 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Twycross (Lab)]

The noble Lord makes many points that sound entirely reasonable. We are clear that we need serious investment in our media and we hope that the certainty that these SIs will provide, albeit with considerable protections around them, will enable media groups to obtain that investment.

[Lord Watts (Lab)]

My Lords, is it not the case that a lot of our media and our press are controlled by the right wing? Do we not need a regulator that will start to protect the public from the propaganda that we see from the right-wing press on a daily basis?

[Baroness Twycross (Lab)]

I would find it very difficult to disagree with my noble friend.

Live Music Industry: Support

Lord Watts Excerpts

Monday 23rd June 2025 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Twycross (Lab)]

On the business rates question, I will throw back to the noble Lord this Government’s fiscal inheritance. We recognise that grass-roots venues have faced a challenging set of circumstances in recent years, and that is why we are committed to working with industry to maximise the uptake and impact of the voluntary ticket levy.

[Lord Watts (Lab)]

My Lords—

[Lord Vaizey of Didcot (Con)]

My Lords, I declare my interest as a governor of an independent school—and give way to the noble Lord.

[Lord Watts (Lab)]

I am grateful to the noble Lord. Can the Minister hear the noise from today’s discussion, in which Members are raising all sorts of problems that the cultural industries face? Do we not need a complete strategy that deals with all these issues, and do we not need to be clear about how we are going to support the arts and culture in the UK?