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

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 11 January 2021 to Question 130724, what assessment he has made of the ease by which skills required by Ofcom for online harms can be obtained; and what the planned timescale is for recruiting those staff.

We are working closely together with Ofcom to identify how they can build the full range of necessary capabilities. We will ensure that they have the resources and skills to effectively carry out their functions as the online harms regulator.

Ofcom is already the regulator for video sharing platforms established in the UK. It is now stepping up its preparations for its new online harms responsibilities. As part of this, Ofcom will ensure it has the right skills through training and hiring of specialists in areas such as data and digital technology.