Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report from the Coalition for a Digital Economy suggesting that new tech regulations set out in the Online Harms White Paper may restrict fair competition of UK start-ups in this sector.

The Online Harms White Paper sets out our plans for world-leading legislation to make the UK the safest place in the world to be online. This will make companies more responsible for their users’ safety online, especially children and other vulnerable groups, and will help to build trust in digital markets. New regulation will be risk-based and proportionate across the broad range of businesses and other organisations in scope, designed to support innovation and a thriving digital economy. The White Paper sets out our intention to consult widely with companies, civil society and other governments to develop our proposals, ahead of finalising new legislation.

As outlined in our Digital Strategy and Charter, our ambition is to ensure the UK is the best place in the world to start and grow a digital business.