Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to his Department's press release entitled Landmark laws to protect children and stop abuse online published, published on 12 May 2021, what his timetable is for launching the consultation on online advertising and online fraud.

My department continues to work closely with other government departments, including the Home Office as the government department responsible for tackling fraud, to develop a coherent approach to online advertising that supports competition and protects consumers.

We are working with industry, regulators and consumer groups to understand the specific harms that are being linked to advertising, including online fraud and scams.

Following a call for evidence in 2020, the Online Advertising Programme will launch a public consultation later this year to examine how best to strengthen standards around the placement and content of online advertising, and to ensure they can be effectively enforced.

More information about the Programme can be found here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/online-advertising-call-for-evidence/online-advertising-call-for-evidence