Clause 1 - The Office of Communications
Office of Communications Bill [Lords]
2:45 pm
Mr Laurence Robertson (Tewkesbury, Conservative)
I shall not detain the Committee long, but I want to pick up on a couple of points. It is important that the Bill is fair in regulating the industry, but first and foremost it must concentrate on looking after the interests of the consumer. I say that in support of the hon. Member for Ceredigion-I hope that I said that right, having practised all morning.
The hon. Member for Milton Keynes, North-East consistently stressed the telecommunications aspect of the Bill. That is fair enough, but that part of the industry currently has only a limited influence on children and vulnerable people, other than through internet. He is wrong to accuse Conservative Members of being over-concerned about media effects on the consumer; they need to be considered. That brings me back to my main point. Consumers' interests must come first, over and above those of the industry.
I had wondered why Northern Ireland was not mentioned in the amendments, but I have received a satisfactory explanation from the hon. Member for Ceredigion.