Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask His Majesty's Government what conversations they have had with Ofcom regarding its ‘small but risky’ taskforce and in particular its understanding of (1) the number of full-time posts assigned to this taskforce, and (2) where this taskforce sits in Ofcom’s management structure.

The Government has regular meetings with Ofcom on matters relating to the Online Safety Act (OSA), including about how it will enforce against non-compliant providers. The ‘Small but Risky’ taskforce is part of Ofcom’s supervision team. It sits in the Online Safety Group. The Government understands there are 189 full-time equivalent posts in the Online Safety Group. Ofcom established the Small but Risky task force in recognition of their unique risks posed by these services. It will identify, manage and enforce against such services where they fail to comply with their duties. Ofcom officially started enforcing the OSA regime this week.