Member

Designating an offence as priority illegal content, as Amendment 296A would do, is a further and more significant step. It triggers offence-specific risk assessments and can require proactive detective measures across all in-scope services, including small platforms. Adding new priority offences must therefore be done carefully, because it carries real-world regulatory burdens and affects how Ofcom and the industry focus their resources. Again, I want to reassure your Lordships that the Government absolutely remain open to adding new priority offences. The Online Safety Act gives us delegated powers precisely so that we can update the list at the right moment, but we must do this through a proper, evidence-based process to keep the regime proportionate, coherent and effective.