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Digital Economy Bill [HL]

My Lords, my amendment in this group removes the power of the Secretary of State to raise the maximum penalty by statutory instrument. As has been said, £250,000 is a great deal of money. It is hard to imagine that this sum will not be a sufficient deterrent against an internet service provider breaching the obligations of the code. If such a sum turns out to be inadequate in enforcing compliance, the priority should be to examine what is so hard to follow in the code. For an internet service provider to take a £250,000 hit rather than implement technical measures or send notification letters suggests there is something very wrong with the process. That is where the Government should seek a solution.