Conclusion 5

Effective regulation will require Ofcom and the Department to sustain the skills and people they need in a fast-moving and highly technical sector. To date, Ofcom has successfully recruited the skills it requires, recruiting people from industry and a wide variety of other sources. This has increased Ofcom’s headcount by nearly 50%. Ofcom has taken the opportunity to reshape itself more widely and is recruiting non-executive directors to ensure its board is appropriately diverse with relevant technical and online safety expertise to provide effective oversight and challenge. Ofcom has already experienced staff turnover, with some staff returning to industry, but is confident in its ability to attract the necessary talent. Preparedness for online safety regulation 7 The Department recognises that it also needs staff with the right skills in this area, and that it needs to be constantly evolving its own capabilities to deal with the risks and opportunities arising from the fast-changing landscape of online harms. Recommendation 5: Both the Department and Ofcom need to determine how often they should undertake regular skills audits to identify gaps, including at senior and board level, to ensure that they continue to have the right people with the right skills in place. They should complete an initial audit within the first year following the Online Safety Bill becoming law.