Speeches by Blackman.

“I agree with Owen—the issues around the middle east were not so prevalent, or so explosive, in Scotland. When you are writing to us afterwards, it would be helpful for you to comment on relationships with social media companies. Both Labour and the Tories are able to contact social media platforms directly, whereas som…”

“On the subject of the risk register and the 40 incidents that you logged, do you think that there was under-reporting? Are you going to keep the risk register up? If there is under-reporting, how will you ensure that more reports are made next time?”

“On that, independents have historically done much better when there are specific local issues or when emotive things are happening in those local communities. How do you think it should be ensured that the rhetoric is kept down within acceptable bounds for the people who are campaigning for the independents, the indepe…”

“I don’t want to put words in your mouth, but you are saying that there is a difference between saying, “This party candidate doesn’t live in the constituency and has no relationship with it,” and saying something nasty about them. You are saying that those are two different things, and you think it is important to be a…”

“I agree with Owen—the issues around the middle east were not so prevalent, or so explosive, in Scotland. When you are writing to us afterwards, it would be helpful for you to comment on relationships with social media companies. Both Labour and the Tories are able to contact social media platforms directly, whereas som…”

“On the subject of the risk register and the 40 incidents that you logged, do you think that there was under-reporting? Are you going to keep the risk register up? If there is under-reporting, how will you ensure that more reports are made next time?”

“On that, independents have historically done much better when there are specific local issues or when emotive things are happening in those local communities. How do you think it should be ensured that the rhetoric is kept down within acceptable bounds for the people who are campaigning for the independents, the indepe…”

“I don’t want to put words in your mouth, but you are saying that there is a difference between saying, “This party candidate doesn’t live in the constituency and has no relationship with it,” and saying something nasty about them. You are saying that those are two different things, and you think it is important to be a…”

“I agree with Owen—the issues around the middle east were not so prevalent, or so explosive, in Scotland. When you are writing to us afterwards, it would be helpful for you to comment on relationships with social media companies. Both Labour and the Tories are able to contact social media platforms directly, whereas som…”

“Will the Minister give way?”

“I completely agree. That is an additional reason why livestreaming is one of my biggest concerns. That functionality should have been included as a matter of course. Any of the organisations that deal with young people and the removal of child sexual abuse material online, such as the Internet Watch Foundation, will te…”

“I appreciate the opportunity to speak in this Committee, Sir Christopher. Like at least one other Member in the room, I lived the Online Safety Bill for a significant number of months—in fact, it seemed to drag on for years. As the Minister said, the Online Safety Act is long overdue. We have needed this legislation fo…”

“The Minister is making the case that the Secretary of State’s hands are tied by the Act —that it requires stuff in relation to the number of users. Can she tell us in which part of the Act it says that, because it does not say that? If she can tell us where it is in the Act, I am quite willing to sit down and shut up a…”

“Thank you, Sir Christopher—I appreciate that prod. I did look at Standing Orders this morning, but could not find that bit, so that is incredibly helpful. On what the Minister said about schedule 11 and the notes that she has been passed from her team on that point, I appreciate her commitment to share the Government’s…”

“Is the hon. Member as concerned as I am that the Government seem to be ignoring the will of Parliament in their decision? Is he worried that young people particularly will suffer as a result?”

“I absolutely agree, and that is a helpful clarification. If the Government have decided that it is too difficult to regulate high-risk platforms as category 1, and that they do not matter enough because they do not have enough of an impact, they should stand up and tell us that. Rather than saying that their hands have…”

“Unfortunately, I have not seen it because I was not aware of its publication until the Secretary of State stood on her feet. It would have been helpful for Members to have been given that information beforehand, so that we could have read the Information Commissioner’s comments in advance of Second Reading, given a num…”

“I appreciate that the Government have made changes around affordability, but they still do not assess either benefit clawbacks or the deductions on the basis of whether they are actually affordable for the people having to pay them back. Are the Government planning to put that in place at some point in future?”

“The individuals who are going to do the independent assessment will be appointed by the Secretary of State. Would it not be better for Parliament to agree the appointment of those individuals, so that we can be assured that they are actually independent?”

“I am pleased that the Minister is updating us with progress. Does she believe the poverty strategy will be announced quickly enough for there to be changes made in, for example, the spring or autumn statements, or are we looking into next year? Please could she give an idea of the timeline?”