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Digital Economy Bill [HL]

My Lords, I am very happy to respond to the noble Lord, Lord Lucas, and to other noble Lords who have spoken on this amendment. Suspensions of accounts as a technical measure has been somewhat misrepresented in the media and more widely. In particular, terms such as account termination have been bandied about most misleadingly. Let us be clear: when we talk about suspension, that is precisely what we mean; namely, a temporary cessation of access to the internet as a measure which we hope will never need to be employed. If it needed to be employed, it would be on the basis of repeated warnings and with a proper appeals process. I am grateful to the noble Lord for his amendment, which emphasises that point, but I would maintain that the additional phrase is redundant. The noble Lord, Lord Lucas, is one of the most well read and literate Members of your Lordships' House. I am reluctant to quote from the Collins English Dictionary a definition of "suspension". However, it states that suspension is, ""an interruption or temporary revocation"." That is clear enough and, I believe, renders the amendment unnecessary. On that basis, I hope that the noble Lord will agree to withdraw it.