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Digital Economy Bill [HL]

My Lords, in Committee, a number of your Lordships had concerns about the frequency of the reports in Clause 2, which it was originally proposed would be every two years. The noble Lords, Lord Howard and Lord De Mauley, suggested then, as they have again today, that the reports should be prepared only at the request of the Secretary of State. The noble Lords, Lord Razzall and Lord Clement-Jones, suggested that four years would be more appropriate, and, during the robust debate that followed, the noble Lord, Lord Puttnam, very helpfully suggested a compromise position of three years as being more "appropriate and reasonable". As I recall, that suggestion was warmly received by the Committee. In the light of that debate, the Government have considered this issue and now propose three-yearly reporting, which will be in line with the existing prescribed timetable for Ofcom to prepare other reports, for example the market reviews, and the review of the media ownership rules. I hope that this will reassure your Lordships that any burden on Ofcom or industry as a result of this reporting duty will be kept to the minimum.