Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to ensure the effective use of Ofcom’s powers under the Online Safety Act 2023.

The Secretary of State has written to Melanie Dawes and made absolutely clear the Government's full backing for Ofcom using all its powers to enfore the Act. Ofcom has issued fines under the Act to three services, including fining a pornography company £1 million. I welcome Ofcom's decision earlier this month to look into whether major social media platforms are meeting their duties to remove illegal terrorist and hate content. There are no more excuses for failing to protect users.