Part of Video Recordings Bill (Allocation of Time) – in the House of Commons at 2:49 pm on 6 January 2010.
Siôn Simon
Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Department for Culture, Media and Sport
2:49,
6 January 2010
I am very grateful to the hon. Gentleman for that; I did fail to answer that question, although not intentionally. Considerable advice and support are being given to local authorities. The Crown Prosecution Service has produced comprehensive guidance on all the relevant issues for local and trading standards administrations, and we are confident that that guidance will equip them to deal with the situation appropriately.
This Third Reading is a conclusion to the Bill. I need only repeat my gratitude to Members on both sides of the House, and particularly to the Opposition parties, which have supported us wholeheartedly as we have used this procedure to get the measure through the House very quickly. We have done that to restore the safeguards for people of all ages, but young people in particular, so that they are not harmed and outraged by the unscrupulous sale of offensive and inappropriate material.
In conclusion, as the Bill moves to the other place, I add a plea to Members there: debate on this Bill is not the appropriate time for discussion of the Digital Economy Bill, or even the detailed provisions of the Video Recordings Act 1984. This is an emergency, fast-track measure that, by its nature, could not be fast-tracked if it were amended. [Interruption.] Mr. Whittingdale looks quizzical. In case he was "quizzicaling" at me, I should say that if the Bill were amended it would have to be renotified in draft again, and that would take another three months.
We need to do this quickly. We are grateful for the support that we have had across the House in getting it done quickly. I commend the Bill to the other place in that same spirit of urgency and seriousness.
Question put and agreed to.
Bill accordingly read the Third time and passed.
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