Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what the operating costs of Ofcom were in each of the last five financial years.

Ofcom’s operating expenditure was £154.451 million in 2021/22, £175.220 million in 2022/23, £190.973 million in 2023/24 and £209.229 million in 2024/25. In 2025/26, operating expenditure was £228.744 million. Ofcom is primarily funded through fees from the sectors it regulates and the retention of Wireless Telegraphy Act spectrum licence fee receipts. The growth in its costs reflects, in part, its expanding regulatory responsibilities, including online safety.