Select committee: Public Accounts Committee
Conclusion 16
Thirteenth Report - Preparedness for online safety regulation
Published 21 Feb 2024
Addressed to HM Treasury
Public Accounts Committee Preparedness for online safety regulation All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Conclusion (the committee's words)
Ofcom cannot undertake enforcement action until the codes of practice are published and, in some instances, set before parliament.31 Ofcom plans to publish its first codes, on illegal harms and protecting children, within 18 months of the Bill becoming law (April 2025).32 We asked Ofcom how it plans to reduce online harms and prepare service providers for regulation before the codes become enforceable.33 Ofcom responded that the consultation documents on its various codes of practice and guidance for service providers will set out practical steps which providers can take now to protect users before their duties become fully enforceable .34 It had also set up its supervision team and begun engaging with the supervised service providers to encourage these to start to comply in the short- to medium- term before their statutory duties become enforceable, and to make its expectations very clear.35
From: Public Accounts Committee, Thirteenth Report - Preparedness for online safety regulation (HC 73), 21 February 2024
Government response
The government responded to the whole report on 3 May 2024 (deadline 21 April 2024).
Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.The government agrees with the Committee's recommendations on codes of practice deadlines, compliance monitoring, the fee regime and evaluation, and disagrees with those on complaint feedback and skills audits.
- On codes of practice, the government agrees and states that Ofcom "is on track" to submit its illegal harms and protection of children Codes to the Secretary of State by 26 April 2025.
- On feedback to complainants, the government disagrees, stating that the Act "does not empower Ofcom to adjudicate on individual complaints"; these should go to the provider.
- On the fee regime, the government agrees. Ofcom will consult publicly in Summer 2024, with the aim of implementing the fees regime in the 2026-27 financial year.
- On skills audits, the government disagrees, stating that both organisations "already have effective workforce planning processes", which fulfil the intent of the recommendation.