Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Fraudulent Online Advertisements

Thursday 16 September 2021 · 4 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 1 Partly answered 3 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Government committed to tackling online fraud through various measures
  • Minister open to meeting families affected by gambling company advertising issues
  • Government considers mechanisms in the draft Online Safety Bill need thorough scrutiny before implementation

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Stephen Timms Lab East Ham
Culture, Media & Sport
Context

Scam adverts are widespread online, leading to significant financial losses for individuals. The draft Online Safety Bill currently does not cover paid-for scam adverts.

Question

Paid-for scam adverts are rife online, and people often lose their life savings due to them. While the Prime Minister said the Online Safety Bill aims to tackle online fraud, it does not address paid-for scam adverts as drafted. Will the Minister review the Department's position given that waiting for another process could take years?

Answer from Matt Warman

The Government are committed to tackling online fraud through various measures, including considering all options via the online advertising programme and addressing fraudulent user-generated content with the prelegislative scrutiny of the draft Online Safety Bill.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not commit to reviewing the current stance on paid-for scam adverts as requested

How: Acknowledges Impatience But Does Not Provide Specific Review Commitment

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Q2 Stephen Timms Lab East Ham
Culture, Media & Sport
Context

Scam adverts are widespread online, leading to significant financial losses for individuals. The draft Online Safety Bill currently does not cover paid-for scam adverts.

Question

Paid-for scam adverts are rife online and people often lose their life savings due to them. While the Prime Minister said the Online Safety Bill aims to tackle online fraud, it does not address paid-for scam adverts as drafted. Will the Minister review the Department's position given that waiting for another process could take years?

Answer from Matt Warman

The Government are committed to tackling online fraud through various measures, including considering all options via the online advertising programme and addressing fraudulent user-generated content with the prelegislative scrutiny of the draft Online Safety Bill.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not commit to reviewing the current stance on paid-for scam adverts as requested

How: Acknowledges Impatience But Does Not Provide Specific Review Commitment

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Q3 Iain Duncan Smith Con Chingford and Woodford Green
Culture, Media & Sport
Context

Gambling companies' advertising leads to addiction issues for many young people. There is a need to address this issue effectively.

Question

Congratulations are extended to the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport on her appointment. There is an issue with the behaviour of gambling companies through their advertising causing addiction in young people. Will the new Secretary of State take a meeting with families affected by gambling addiction?

Answer from Matt Warman

The Minister is happy to inform that the new Secretary of State would be delighted to take the requested meeting.

Answered
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Q4 Jo Stevens Lab Cardiff East
Safeguarding & DBS Standards & Ethics
Context

There is a 70% increase in sexual communication offences with children, and a 77% increase in self-generated child sexual abuse material. The Labour party calls for personal criminal liability for tech executives who put children at risk.

Question

Extends welcome to new Secretary of State and Minister; asks why the Government refuse to implement personal criminal liability for senior tech executives whose actions put children at risk, as seen in other industries like financial services and health and safety. What is the compelling reason?

Answer from Matt Warman

The aim of the draft Online Safety Bill is to tackle online issues effectively; however, mechanisms that work well in other industries may not be directly applicable without thorough scrutiny.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not provide a specific compelling reason for refusal as requested

How: Acknowledges The Issue But Does Not Specify Reasons

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