Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, how much funding Ofcom has received year on year since the implementation of the Online Safety Act 2023; the current number of staff allocated to leading investigations; and what assessment she has made of whether the current level of funding adequately meets the need and demand of developments in technologies and their harms.

Ofcom has received approximately £281.3 million in online safety funding since 2020, including a projected £92 million for 2025/26, up from £71 million in 2024/25. This uplift reflects Ofcom’s increased duties as implementation of the Act progresses. In 2025/26, Ofcom has 556 Full-time equivalent staff working on online safety across its teams. Its staffing model allows resources to be deployed dynamically across teams to meet evolving demands.