Clause 7 - Short title, commencement and extent
Office of Communications Bill [Lords]
5:00 pm
Mrs Anne McIntosh (Vale of York, Conservative)
This is one of many amendments that were tabled in the other place. I want to press the Minister on several points arising from what he has just said and from what he said during the passage of the Bill. We are told in the explanatory notes on clause 7:
This order-making power will be used so that OFCOM can be operational by the time that the Communications Bill is brought into force.
We are also told about the financial effects of the Bill:
The Government envisages that the initial planning costs of establishing OFCOM so that it can prepare to receive its functions will be in the order of £5 million spread over the period of transition.
The notes continue:
By adding to the existing regulators' statutory functions—