Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Harmful Content Online

Thursday 18 November 2021 · 3 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 1 Not answered 0

Key points

  • The draft Bill to tackle harmful content online was published in May 2021.
  • Pre-legislative scrutiny by the Joint Committee is ongoing and expected to report by 10 December.
  • The Joint Committee is gathering evidence from whistleblowers like Frances Haugen to inform the Bill's proposals.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Owen Thompson SNP
Culture, Media & Sport
Context

The draft Bill was published in May 2021 and pre-legislative scrutiny is ongoing.

Question

What progress has been made on introducing legislative proposals to establish a new regulatory framework to tackle harmful content online? The draft Bill was published in May 2021, but the questioner seeks details on current status and expected completion timeline.

Answer from Nadine Dorries

The draft Bill was published in May 2021. Pre-legislative scrutiny is under way, but we expect the Joint Committee to report by 10 December. This scrutiny is a vital part in ensuring that the Bill delivers what we need to protect people online.

Answered
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Q2 Owen Thompson SNP
Culture, Media & Sport
Context

A Facebook whistleblower has revealed that hateful political ads are five to ten times cheaper for customers, and Facebook has since banned companies from targeting ads based on users' political beliefs, sexual orientation or religion.

Question

What proposals can the Government come up with to take account of the views of the whistleblower in calling for further action to end subsidising hate online? The Joint Committee is doing important work gathering evidence from Frances Haugen and others.

Answer from Nadine Dorries

I take this opportunity to thank the Joint Committee for the work it has undertaken, particularly gathering evidence from Frances Haugen and others. We have taken a huge body of evidence. The Joint Committee is doing that very work at the moment. I am confident that every one of the examples highlighted will be legislated for in the regulatory framework given to Ofcom.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The questioner sought specific proposals, but only a vague commitment was provided.

How: Thanking The Joint Committee, Referring To Ongoing Work

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Q3 Damian Collins Con
Culture, Media & Sport Parliamentary Procedure
Context

The questioner discusses the principle of the online safety Bill, suggesting that offences existing offline should also apply online.

Question

Does the Secretary of State agree that the key principle of the online safety Bill should be that offences that exist offline should be applied online—not only to those who post content with the intent of harming others, but to the platforms that host such content—and that we need ongoing close parliamentary scrutiny?

Answer from Nadine Dorries

This is a novel and groundbreaking Bill that will legislate in a new sector and environment. Ongoing scrutiny once the Bill becomes an Act will be extremely important, but no specific commitments or timelines were provided.

Not addressed: No commitment to principles or specifics on scrutiny.

How: Describing The Bill As Groundbreaking

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