Committees

Joint Committee on draft Online Safety Bill to publish report

13 December 2021

The Joint Committee on the draft Online Safety Bill will publish its report on the Online Safety Bill at 00.01am Tuesday 14 December 2021.

Embargoed copies will be sent out on the morning of Monday, 13 December 2021 to members of the media who request one. Damian Collins MP, Chair of the Committee, is available for interviews on Tuesday 14 December 2021. To request an embargoed copy of the report, or to bid to interview the Chair, contact Lucy Dargahi dargahil@parliament.uk.

The Chair will also host an online briefing for the press, alongside other members of the Committee, at 2pm on Tuesday 14 December on Zoom. Please contact Lucy Dargahi dargahil@parliament.uk to express interest in attending.

Background

  • The Joint Committee for the Draft Online Safety Bill was convened in July 2021 and was given until 10 December 2021 to propose ways to improve the Online Safety Bill before it goes to Parliament for further examination and final approval in 2022.
  • During a packed inquiry, the Committee heard from victims of online harms (Molly Russell’s father Ian Russell, Rio Ferdinand, Martin Lewis) Nobel Peace prize-winning journalist (Maria Ressa), academics and experts, the big tech companies, Ofcom, Facebook whistleblowers Frances Haugen and Sophie Zhang, the Government, and received hundreds of pages of written evidence.
  • The Government must respond to the Committee’s report within 2 months once published.
  • The Committee is made up of members with expertise in advertising, auditing, child safety, governance, law and media.
  • Chair: Damian Collins MP
  • Members: Debbie Abrahams MP (Lab), Darren Jones MP (Lab), John Nicolson MP (SNP) Dean Russell MP (Con) Suzanne Webb MP (Con) Lord Stevenson of Balmacara (Lab) Lord Black of Brentwood (Con) Lord Clement-Jones (Lib Dem) Baroness Kidron (Cross bench) Lord Knight of Weymouth (Lab) Lord Gilbert of Panteg (Con)

Further information