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Digital Economy Bill [HL]

My Lords, I was sitting here blissfully enjoying the unanimity being expressed in all parts of the House. My noble friend Lord Gordon had a slight anxiety about whether the amendment was necessary. He is absolutely right that a condition requiring impartiality could already be imposed by Ofcom under the clause as it stands. However, making it mandatory in these terms reinforces the values to which all noble Lords have subscribed in this debate, and that is why it is neither otiose nor unnecessary but helpful. I shall therefore take a positive line on the amendment, which is just as well as I have just accepted amendments from the Liberal Democrat Front Bench and I am not sure that my noble friend Lord Puttnam would take too kindly to me being resistant to his. Although all the other points raised were expressed in terms of favouring the amendment, which the Government are prepared to accept, there is one point to which I need to reply. My noble friend Lord Maxton asked what would happen when newspapers were part of the IFNCs. The requirement would apply to the IFNCs’ branded output only, regardless of the individual or media affiliation. It would not apply to the content produced by the newspaper member. I am sure my noble friend appreciates that the newspaper will maintain its independent stance when it operates under its own brand and funding. However, noble Lords should remember that we are talking here about public funding, and that is the burden of the amendment moved by my noble friend Lord Puttnam, which I am happy to accept. Amendment 132A agreed. Amendments 133 and 134 Moved by