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Digital Economy Bill [HL]

My Lords, the amendments in this group relate to a concern that many noble Lords raised in Committee: that these provisions might lead to information that a subscriber may reasonably expect to be kept private being disseminated among many different bodies. The Minister has tried to reassure the House that ISPs and copyright owners will be expected to meet a high standard when setting up the databases and transferring information between them at the appropriate stage. As with so much in this Bill, however, it will not be possible to tell the value of these reassurances until the system has been established. It will provide considerable reassurances for subscribers, and indeed ISPs, which are likely to bear the brunt of consumer anger if these standards are not maintained, if the code were to be approved by the appropriate person—the Information Commissioner. I beg to move.