Lucy Powell: On a point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker—
Lucy Powell: On a point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker. Could you advise me on whether you have received notice that there will be a statement tomorrow? If not, what advice would you give the House about the very important White Paper, given that we are expecting Prorogation today, that the business will fall very early, and that there will be very little opportunity for statements and oral interrogation?
Lucy Powell: (Urgent Question): To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport if she will make a statement on the privatisation of Channel 4.
Lucy Powell: The sell-off of Channel 4 is an important matter for Parliament, yet instead of a statement we had announcement by tweet during recess, and now we hear that a White Paper is to be published tomorrow, when we will not be here and there will not be an opportunity for statements. Where is the Secretary of State to defend her policy today? It is a pattern, and it is a disgrace. Nothing screams...
Lucy Powell: Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker. It has been a busy day, and I will try to keep my remarks short. It is a real shame that the discussion of an important landmark Bill, with so many Members wanting to contribute, has been squeezed into such a tiny amount of time. Labour supports the principles of the Online Safety Bill. There has been a wild west online for too long. Huge platforms such as...
Lucy Powell: I will give way once on this point.
Lucy Powell: I very much agree with my hon. Friend, and I will come on to talk about that shortly. The Online Safety Bill is an important step towards strong, independent regulation. We welcome the Bill’s overall aim: the duty of care framework based on the work of the Carnegie Trust. I agree with the Secretary of State that the safety of children should be at the heart of this regulation. The...
Lucy Powell: I am not going to give way, sorry. Before I get onto the specifics, I will address the main area of contention: the balance between free speech and regulation, most notably expressed via the “legal but harmful” clauses.
Lucy Powell: I will give way one last time.
Lucy Powell: I will come on to some of those issues. My hon. Friend makes a valid point. I fear the Government’s current solution to the balance between free speech and regulation will please no one and takes us down an unhelpful rabbit hole. Some believe the Bill will stifle free speech, with platforms over-zealously taking down legitimate political and other views. In response, the Government have put...
Lucy Powell: I will not, sorry. Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen, who I had the privilege of meeting, cited many examples to the Joint Committee on the draft Online Safety Bill of Facebook’s models and algorithms making things much worse. Had the Government chosen to follow the Joint Committee recommendations for a systems-based approach rather than a content-driven one, the Bill would be stronger...
Lucy Powell: I am sorry, but too many people want to speak. Members should talk to their business managers, who have cut—[Interruption.] I know the hon. Gentleman was Chair of the Committee—[Interruption.]
Lucy Powell: The business managers have failed everybody on both sides given the time available. A systems-based approach also has the benefit of tackling the things that platforms can control, such as how content spreads, rather than what they cannot control, such as what people post. We would avoid the cul-de-sac of arguing over the definitions of what content is or is not harmful, and instead go...
Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many officials in her Department are working in the Counter Disinformation Unit.
Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) officials in his Department and (b) armed forces officers are working in the Counter Disinformation Unit.
Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to Answer 30 March 2022 of to Questions 147057 and 147056, of the 14,260 online CSA cases disseminated to police forces in England how many went to each police force between March 2020 and February 2021; and of the 17,022 online CSA cases disseminated to police forces in England how many went to each police force between March...
Lucy Powell: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many officials in his Department are working in the Counter Disinformation Unit.
Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether the Counter Disinformation Unit has contacted YouTube to request the removal of videos doctored by the Russian state following the tweet by the Ministry of Defence on 23 March 2022 of their letter that organisation dated 22 March 2022.
Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how many pieces of content the Counter Disinformation Unit has asked social media providers to remove following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how many (a) applications were received and (b) grants allocated to which organisations as part of the Fibre in the Water competition.