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Digital Economy Bill [HL]

My Lords, once again the noble Lord is reflecting his authoritarian instincts and seeking to make compulsory that which at present is mainly advisory and permissive. The Government are, of course, concerned that the BBFC and the VSC need to make their classification on DVDs and games clear. Additional advice is at present permitted and often welcome as a way of providing additional information to consumers. Most DVDs and games provide sufficient information about the contents to allow the consumer to make an informed choice. After all, if the consumer buys something which he did not intend to buy, his reaction is likely to be very critical of the provider. There is absolutely no evidence to suggest that making additional advice compulsory would provide any additional protection. There was no call for compulsion in this area during the extensive consultation we undertook before drawing up the legislation. It is an extra imposition on industry, especially given that there is no restriction on what the designated authorities might impose. So the noble Lord might, in fact, be proposing an excessive demand on the industry because he is leaving it to the designated authorities to make that judgment. We believe that there is some benefit in additional advice and it is often provided to the advantage of the consumer. However, we do not see the case for making it compulsory beyond the necessary certification advice which is already provided for. I hope, therefore, that the noble Lord will return to his normal bent and feel that his amendment ought not to put an extra burden on industry where it is not necessary.