---

Digital Economy Bill [HL]

My Lords, Amendment 116 relates to a very straightforward point. I hope that I do not require the help of the noble Lord, Lord Whitty, to persuade the Government to accept the amendment, because it is so obvious that we need to protect the subscribers. This part of the Bill is about trying to get the right balance between the interests of those who believe that downloading on the internet should be their inalienable right and those who believe that those who take copyright material are stealing it. Finding the balance between those positions is what this section is about. This straightforward amendment proposes that there should be a time limit for a subscriber to be notified of a CIR. This amendment suggests one month. We believe that that should be in the Bill because we are concerned that subscribers may not otherwise receive a notification until many months after the alleged infringement, by which time it would be very difficult for them to challenge. I hope that at this late stage the Government will accept this amendment with ease. I beg to move.