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Digital Economy Bill [HL]

Our feelings on this possible extra body have already been made fairly clear, not least in the previous debate and that on Amendment 99, on which my noble friend Lady Buscombe intervened on Monday to such effect that the Minister said that he would take the matter away. Amendment 117A of the noble Lord, Lord Clement-Jones, goes right to the heart of our concerns. Ofcom, by its size, regulatory position and ultimate accountability to government, is, one would hope, immune to industry pressure. A small body, given the task of administering and adjudicating the code, will surely be at risk of being much more susceptible to all sorts of pressure. It also seems to us that it will be less able to assess the accuracy of the information as effectively as Ofcom, and will, furthermore, arguably be open to much more pressure from negative press briefing. Of course, the Minister might respond that Ofcom will bear ultimate responsibility for the behaviour of the independent body. I am sure that that is technically the case—but, then, what advantage does the body add? Is the Minister implying that Ofcom might be seen as biased, giving rise to a need to establish a separate body in order to give the appearance of impartiality?