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Digital Economy Bill [HL]

My Lords, it is conventional for the mover of an amendment in Committee to say that he wants to read what the Minister has said in Hansard. In the context of this amendment, that is even more apposite. First, I have to take on board the late intervention from the Box on the operation of the clause; secondly, I have to take on board the noble Earl’s saying that what he said was not what he really meant. I am not sure whether I can read what he did mean in the context of what he subsequently said, as it would test the wisdom of Solomon. First, I shall try to see whether we should have the point that I am making in the Bill. The noble Lord, Lord Howard of Rising, and I agreed during our last sitting that there seems to be a slight disagreement between opposition parties and the Government on the extent to which things should be left to the code or put in the Bill. I shall look and see whether this is an area on which I want the noble Lord to join me at Report to decide whether this should be in the Bill. I really want to consider whether the Minister has convinced me about what the difference is between an ISP being in a dispute regarding the content of copyright by comparison with the Post Office being sued for the content of a letter. I am approaching it from the point of view that the ISP is in exactly the same role as the Post Office; it has all sorts of obligations with regard to the sender and recipient of the letter, but it does not have an obligation regarding the content of the letter. That is what this point is about. In the mean time, I beg leave to withdraw the amendment. Amendment 128 withdrawn. Amendments 128A and 128B not moved. Clause 8 agreed. Amendment 129 Moved by