07/07/2016

:00:00. > :00:00.actions are disgraceful, and when the acting the way we have seen in

:00:00. > :00:00.recent weeks, there is absolutely lead no excuse but authorities not

:00:00. > :00:12.to put them in court where they belong. We now come to the select

:00:13. > :00:16.committee statement. Doctor Julian Lewis will speak on the subject for

:00:17. > :00:19.up to ten minutes, during which no interventions can be taken. At the

:00:20. > :00:26.conclusion of the statement, I will call on members to make comments.

:00:27. > :00:30.Members can expect to be called only once. Interventions should be

:00:31. > :00:38.questions and should be brief. The front bench may take part in the

:00:39. > :00:42.questioning. Thank you. I am grateful for this opportunity to lay

:00:43. > :00:49.before the house, the defence committee's report entitled Russian

:00:50. > :00:52.Implications For Uk Defence And Implications For Uk Defence And

:00:53. > :00:56.Security, which has been produced on the eve of the Nato or for summit

:00:57. > :01:03.and highlights the need for that major event to focus on defence,

:01:04. > :01:05.deterrence, but also dialogue. I am extremely grateful to all the

:01:06. > :01:13.members of the select committee for their contributions to the genesis

:01:14. > :01:18.of this report. We held for oral evidence sessions, we also received

:01:19. > :01:25.18 pieces of written evidence and a delegation from the committee spent

:01:26. > :01:30.a visit in Moscow, ably led by my honourable friend for North

:01:31. > :01:34.Wiltshire, where the attempted to engage with the Russian authorities.

:01:35. > :01:38.Because of the current state of relations, however, Russian

:01:39. > :01:43.government authorities were reluctant to engage, but they

:01:44. > :01:50.acquired much of useful information on that visit. Russia's annexation

:01:51. > :01:53.of Crimea and the invasion of eastern Ukraine have undermined the

:01:54. > :02:00.post-Cold War assumption of a stable Europe, with a military threat to

:02:01. > :02:06.Nato is now. The north Atlantic Alliance must therefore restored its

:02:07. > :02:12.defences, refutes deterrence and reopen is dialogue with the Russian

:02:13. > :02:16.the UK were taken by surprise by the the UK were taken by surprise by the

:02:17. > :02:24.interventions in Ukraine shows a failure to comprehend President

:02:25. > :02:30.Putin's determination to maintain a sphere of influence beyond Russia's

:02:31. > :02:35.own borders, and if necessary, to do so by force. His stands directly

:02:36. > :02:42.contradicts the rules -based international order that Western

:02:43. > :02:48.democracy seeks to promote. Russia has become increasingly active, not

:02:49. > :02:51.all me in conventional warfare, but in unconventional methods, often

:02:52. > :02:57.deniable, which are designed to fall below the threshold that would

:02:58. > :03:02.trigger a two's Article five guarantee. Article five is of course

:03:03. > :03:09.the undertaking to consider an armed attack against one Nato member state

:03:10. > :03:16.as an attack against them all. The creation of the very high readiness

:03:17. > :03:21.joint task force among Nato member states and the enhanced for presence

:03:22. > :03:28.on needle's contested eastern flank, are steps in the right direction.

:03:29. > :03:33.But our report warns, the task force has only been formed recently and

:03:34. > :03:39.it's capacity to deploy the necessary forces within the required

:03:40. > :03:45.time frame is yet unproven. Among the report's recommendations for

:03:46. > :03:48.Nato are, first, to recognise the extent of Russian reed

:03:49. > :03:54.militarisation and to respond to it robustly. Secondly, to review the

:03:55. > :03:58.affected list of current deterrent policy against nuclear conventional

:03:59. > :04:02.and hybrid or multi dimensional warfare. Thirdly, to determine

:04:03. > :04:08.whether the 1987 intermediate treaty whether the 1987 intermediate treaty

:04:09. > :04:15.is in need of repair or replacement in the light of allegations that

:04:16. > :04:19.Russia has reached its provisions. Fourthly, to set out the timetable

:04:20. > :04:22.for the Trident successor submarine debate, and the decision in

:04:23. > :04:29.parliament, as we say, without further delay. Indeed, to hope that

:04:30. > :04:33.debate before the summer recess. This way, to encourage renewal of EU

:04:34. > :04:39.wide sanctions against Russia and to consider extending them to a larger

:04:40. > :04:45.group among the Kremlin leadership and 63, to accept that it is, as we

:04:46. > :04:49.state, perfectly possible to confront and constrain an adversary

:04:50. > :04:54.in a region where our interests clash, while operating with him to

:04:55. > :05:05.some degree in a region where they call inside. We regard the threat

:05:06. > :05:10.posed by Daesh, Al-Qaeda and other international terrorists as a

:05:11. > :05:13.convergence of Nato and Russian convergence of Nato and Russian

:05:14. > :05:18.interests. I am glad to see the minister assenting to that

:05:19. > :05:21.proposition. The committee believes that Russian cyber attacks are

:05:22. > :05:27.crossed Europe and their territorial seizures in Georgia and Ukraine may

:05:28. > :05:33.not be isolated actions, but may be symptomatic of a wider ambition to

:05:34. > :05:39.restore Moscow's global influence. However, because Russia is a global

:05:40. > :05:46.power, there remain opportunities for cooperation if we can but grasp

:05:47. > :05:53.them. Yet with relations at an all-time low, our report concludes

:05:54. > :05:57.that the UK must urgently boost its capture of Russian specialists. We

:05:58. > :06:02.must restore and maintain a high level of expertise for the

:06:03. > :06:07.foreseeable future. Even the current climate, the defence at a shoe's

:06:08. > :06:12.office in Moscow, for example, must be properly staffed by the end of

:06:13. > :06:16.the year. Since the end of the Cold War, Russia has not been a UK

:06:17. > :06:22.priority and our expertise in this field has withered on the vine. The

:06:23. > :06:29.UK needs a vastly strengthen body of experts, who can help provide an

:06:30. > :06:33.effective response to the challenges which Russia now poses. We cannot

:06:34. > :06:38.hope to understand Russia without a forthright dialogue, and I'm under

:06:39. > :06:43.current conditions of mistrust, we run the risk of blundering into

:06:44. > :06:50.conflicts that may be preventable through better communication. The

:06:51. > :06:54.by military confrontation, but also by military confrontation, but also

:06:55. > :06:58.of Marxism - Leninism, with its of Marxism - Leninism, with its

:06:59. > :07:04.formidable appeal to impressionable minds inside the Kremlin's targeted

:07:05. > :07:09.countries. No such totalitarian doctrine applies to present-day

:07:10. > :07:13.Russia, which for all its nationalist and expansionist

:07:14. > :07:17.tendencies, is itself under threat from revolutionary Islamism, the

:07:18. > :07:23.brutal successor to the equally brutal Nazi and Communist creeds

:07:24. > :07:27.which blighted so much of the 20th century. Therein lies the basis for

:07:28. > :07:31.provided that our dialogue with provided that our dialogue with

:07:32. > :07:38.Russia is from a position of strength, based on sound defences

:07:39. > :07:44.and credible deterrence. Thank you very much. May I say, it is a

:07:45. > :07:47.privilege to serve on the Defence Select Committee so ably chaired by

:07:48. > :07:51.my honourable friend. I hope he would agree with me that one of the

:07:52. > :07:54.things that was clear from our report is that lack of dialogue and

:07:55. > :08:00.understanding between our colleagues in Russia and ourselves, not only in

:08:01. > :08:03.terms of language, but also in terms of shared history, and would he

:08:04. > :08:08.agree that in light of the upcoming Nato summit, we need to review that

:08:09. > :08:16.as part of our wider engagement with Russia and about how they perceive

:08:17. > :08:19.the threat from Nato? Yes, indeed. I thank the honourable lady, who is a

:08:20. > :08:25.tremendously supportive member of the committee. This is her first

:08:26. > :08:30.Parliamentary term, but she has made a great start. I do emphasise again

:08:31. > :08:32.what I said about the importance of dialogue with Russia. The fact

:08:33. > :08:38.remains that different societies remains that different societies

:08:39. > :08:41.develop at different stages and they go through different phases in their

:08:42. > :08:46.attitude to their relationships with the rest of the world. One mistake

:08:47. > :08:52.that the West clearly made after the downfall of communism was too evil

:08:53. > :08:59.pedigree of triumphalism at a time when magnanimity would have been

:09:00. > :09:03.more appropriate. I think the West makes a terrible mistake if they

:09:04. > :09:09.fail to recognise that Russia is, and always has been, a great power.

:09:10. > :09:15.And what we have to do is reach out the hand of friendship while trying

:09:16. > :09:20.to discourage those aspects of the Russian tradition that seek to

:09:21. > :09:24.dominate lands the envelope borders. The fact is, they are a pretty large

:09:25. > :09:27.landmass themselves, and one would hope they could make a success of

:09:28. > :09:34.running their own country without feeling the need to impose their

:09:35. > :09:40.will on their neighbours. Potential Russian expansionism must be

:09:41. > :09:45.deterred by Nato by a fist of steel, there's no question of that at all,

:09:46. > :09:48.moment, we don't understand Russia moment, we don't understand Russia

:09:49. > :09:50.and we don't understand what they're doing and we have to find better

:09:51. > :09:56.ways of understanding them and talking to them about it. One area

:09:57. > :10:00.where we simply don't know is in the high North, in the Arctic, they are

:10:01. > :10:02.without question expanding their without question expanding their

:10:03. > :10:06.military capabilities there. We don't know why. One area of the

:10:07. > :10:13.report wasn't able to look into was what they're doing in the Arctic and

:10:14. > :10:21.Indeed, in the report, we dropped a Indeed, in the report, we dropped a

:10:22. > :10:25.very broad hint that the area of the Arctic, the high North, is something

:10:26. > :10:30.that deserves special attention and I strongly suspect that, if and when

:10:31. > :10:34.the committee takes a decision to give it that special attention, my

:10:35. > :10:39.honourable friend who has led the way with his all-party group on the

:10:40. > :10:42.polar regions, in alerting the country to the significance of this

:10:43. > :10:52.area, will be playing a very prominent part in deed. First of

:10:53. > :10:54.committee members for a committee members for a

:10:55. > :10:59.comprehensive and thorough report on comprehensive and thorough report on

:11:00. > :11:05.this very important area of the UK's and Europe's defence and security.

:11:06. > :11:11.The enquiry didn't have time to consider the implications of Brexit

:11:12. > :11:14.in full, given that tactics are often about destabilising Europe,

:11:15. > :11:20.does he think it is vital for the UK does he think it is vital for the UK

:11:21. > :11:24.to make sure that Brexit does not undermine the political cohesion of

:11:25. > :11:28.Nato? I'm going to issue the answer to that is yes, and as such, has the

:11:29. > :11:35.committee given any preliminary thoughts as to how that might come

:11:36. > :11:40.about? First of all, they are welcome the honourable member for

:11:41. > :11:44.Norwich South to his new responsibilities, and may I say a

:11:45. > :11:51.personal message of appreciation for his past service in the territorial

:11:52. > :11:55.Army, which included a spell of active service in Afghanistan. I

:11:56. > :11:57.hope the members of the Armed Forces, particularly those who have

:11:58. > :12:02.seen armed service and dangerous parts of the world, in the highest

:12:03. > :12:06.respect and I'm sure we will all this and with very great attention

:12:07. > :12:14.to the contributions of the honourable gentleman.

:12:15. > :12:19.In relation to Brexit, I do not think I am giving up trade secrets

:12:20. > :12:23.when I say this has been discussed as one of the major strands of the

:12:24. > :12:27.forthcoming work of the committee. It is certainly the case that that

:12:28. > :12:31.ought to be no need for anyone to feel that security arrangements have

:12:32. > :12:37.been undermined in any way, if only because the almost complete overlap

:12:38. > :12:42.between the membership of the EU and the mentorship of the North Atlantic

:12:43. > :12:48.Treaty Organisation. I am quite certain that the structures of the

:12:49. > :12:52.North Atlantic Treaty Organisation will be perfectly capable of

:12:53. > :12:56.carrying forward the security relationships without any form of

:12:57. > :13:00.distortion by any other organisation that might have been tempted to

:13:01. > :13:08.duplicate them. And Nato will indeed be one of the principal fora for

:13:09. > :13:12.ensuring that the communications that are so important between the

:13:13. > :13:17.United Kingdom and our friends and allies on the continent will be able

:13:18. > :13:24.to proceed absolutely uninterruptedly as a result of the

:13:25. > :13:29.change that is going to take place. Could I to welcome the member for

:13:30. > :13:35.Norwich South into the new role he is in and say that we served in the

:13:36. > :13:41.same reserve infantry unit, although unlike me, he saw active service to

:13:42. > :13:45.ring his time there. -- during his time there. Can I congratulate my

:13:46. > :13:51.honourable friend on a heavyweight report him and his committee have

:13:52. > :13:54.made. And clearly will be responding to it and we will look carefully at

:13:55. > :13:59.each of his recommendations, it is above my pay grade to give a date

:14:00. > :14:04.for Trident debate. We will be looking carefully at it. Could I

:14:05. > :14:08.congratulate them on the careful balance they have struck between

:14:09. > :14:17.stressing the real and growing dangers from the Soviet, Surrey,

:14:18. > :14:24.from Russia, Freudian slip! With, on the other hand, the contrast in

:14:25. > :14:32.political situation compared with the old Soviet Union. The lack of

:14:33. > :14:36.the ideology there and that lack of constructive opportunities that

:14:37. > :14:43.would provide as we share a threat from Daesh. I'm grateful for those

:14:44. > :14:47.encouraging remarks from the minister, and I believe that he is

:14:48. > :14:52.spot on when he says that we must take a balanced view with regard to

:14:53. > :14:58.Russia. If we look back over their history of Anglo Russian relations

:14:59. > :15:02.over the 20th century, they are a terrible switchback ride of periods

:15:03. > :15:09.of great hostility and then close it Alliance and then great hostility

:15:10. > :15:13.once again. It is a pity, I will put it no more strongly than that, that

:15:14. > :15:19.we cannot order our affairs to see that in reality there are prospects

:15:20. > :15:26.for cooperation between developed powers that are masterly outweigh

:15:27. > :15:33.any sectional advantage that might be sought by one of them trying to

:15:34. > :15:40.steal a march on the other. And I understand the reasons why it Russia

:15:41. > :15:45.feels affronted by its treatment after the end of the Cold War, but

:15:46. > :15:47.that is no excuse for ripping up the international rule books, and

:15:48. > :15:55.trampling on the rights of its neighbours. May I commend the

:15:56. > :15:57.chairman and the members of the committee on producing an excellent

:15:58. > :16:03.report in the run-up to the Nato summit later this week? And I

:16:04. > :16:06.entirely agree with the need for more dialogue and cooperation

:16:07. > :16:11.through the Russia Council and by other means. And also the

:16:12. > :16:14.committee's recommendation about recognising the Russian threat and

:16:15. > :16:18.the need to respond robustly. In that context, does the chairman of

:16:19. > :16:24.the committee share my concern about the recent announcement by the

:16:25. > :16:30.Foreign Minister in Germany when after a Nato exercise in Poland, he

:16:31. > :16:33.described it as warmongering and counter-productive to regional

:16:34. > :16:37.security. Isn't that the need for member states of Nato to stand

:16:38. > :16:41.together, send United and clear message to Putin, that we will not

:16:42. > :16:45.be divided, and there needs to be work done by our own government and

:16:46. > :16:52.other like-minded governments to ensure that everybody recognises the

:16:53. > :16:58.need to stand united or Putin will exploit differences. I share his

:16:59. > :17:02.concern and this is why some of us at any rate, and I speak more

:17:03. > :17:10.personally in this respect, have been worried about the creation of a

:17:11. > :17:15.separate defence identity within Europe outside the Nato arena. What

:17:16. > :17:23.he says is entirely right. Nato is the forum in which our security

:17:24. > :17:31.concerns with our European friends, neighbours and allies, should be

:17:32. > :17:33.aired. And we should try to arrive at unified perceptions of the

:17:34. > :17:40.situation and articulate them appropriately. May I congratulate my

:17:41. > :17:43.right honourable friend and his committee on producing an excellent

:17:44. > :17:49.and very timely report. I wonder if he would agree with me that what we

:17:50. > :17:54.have seen recently is that resident Putin has been able to exploit our

:17:55. > :18:02.witnesses, but he does so ruthlessly, and that he has been

:18:03. > :18:06.able to act with impunity. As chairman of the all-party Ukraine

:18:07. > :18:15.group I am conscious of his flouting of the Budapest memorandum of 1990

:18:16. > :18:20.six -- 1996. He has done that with complete impunity. He respects

:18:21. > :18:25.strength. I think it is right that Nato is reinforcing its position in

:18:26. > :18:31.the Baltic states. I think that it is an act of, demonstration of

:18:32. > :18:34.strength on the part of Nato and of resolve. And I wonder if my right

:18:35. > :18:40.honourable friend would not agree with me that it is capabilities, not

:18:41. > :18:43.intentions, that count. Because intentions can change overnight, his

:18:44. > :18:50.abilities cannot. Particularly today when we see the complexity of modern

:18:51. > :18:57.defence technology, you cannot produce tanks and shipped overnight.

:18:58. > :19:05.So Nato's upcoming meeting should be focusing on that extra spending to

:19:06. > :19:10.deliver capabilities. I applaud my right honourable friend's argued

:19:11. > :19:15.about dialogue. I had a meeting with the Russian ambassador in London and

:19:16. > :19:19.I said, we had a common interest. We are both facing Islamic

:19:20. > :19:24.fundamentalism. Would my right honourable friend be able to share

:19:25. > :19:29.with the House how he thinks we can on the one hand show that we have

:19:30. > :19:34.absolutely determination and resolve in resisting Putin's advances, but

:19:35. > :19:37.also, engage with them and his government, and where else might we

:19:38. > :19:45.do so apart from on the mutual threat we face from Islamic

:19:46. > :19:48.fundamentalism? There was a cornucopia of questions in there,

:19:49. > :19:53.but all of them typically sound and well directed, given my honourable

:19:54. > :19:59.friend's distinguished record in the field of defence and security. I do

:20:00. > :20:02.believe that there is nothing new about the dilemma of how the gauge

:20:03. > :20:09.our relations with the Russians. I remember in my years as a researcher

:20:10. > :20:12.coming across a paper by the joint intelligence subcommittee, it was

:20:13. > :20:16.then the subcommittee of the chiefs of staff, called relations by the

:20:17. > :20:21.Russians, written in 1945. And it said then what we are saying today,

:20:22. > :20:27.which is the respect due if you stand up to them, if you show your

:20:28. > :20:33.strong, but if you engage with them as well. They do not respect you if

:20:34. > :20:37.you give signs of weakness. And I believe that there is a shared

:20:38. > :20:43.threat but there are also potential threats which Russia is beginning to

:20:44. > :20:49.show once again towards its most immediate neighbours, and that is

:20:50. > :20:55.why it is so important that there is a Nato military presence in the most

:20:56. > :20:59.vulnerable front line states, particularly the Baltic states and

:21:00. > :21:04.Poland, because Russia must be left in no doubt that Nato membership

:21:05. > :21:09.means that article five applies, and article five means that there should

:21:10. > :21:16.be no question of thinking you can pick off any weaker member state of

:21:17. > :21:19.Nato or any more exposed member state of Nato and the other

:21:20. > :21:24.countries of Nato will not come to its aid. And that is why of course,

:21:25. > :21:29.conversely, we must be careful not to extend Nato membership or article

:21:30. > :21:33.five guarantees to countries where it is simply not realistic to

:21:34. > :21:39.believe that Nato would go to war to defend them. We are quite a lot over

:21:40. > :21:49.time so I am going to ask for very short, quick questions but also

:21:50. > :21:53.short and quick answers. We have spent most of yesterday discussing

:21:54. > :21:57.political and military miscalculation and misadventure in

:21:58. > :22:04.Iraq. The debate that we hope on Trident looms large but the report

:22:05. > :22:09.emphasises also the need to see the cost effectiveness of that

:22:10. > :22:13.programme. Following Brexit and the potential uncertainty that that

:22:14. > :22:19.might bring, would my honourable friend agree that there are many

:22:20. > :22:25.approaches and non-nuclear deterrent that we could introduce to create

:22:26. > :22:29.stability with Russia, but Trident skews every defence budget to

:22:30. > :22:32.unacceptable levels. That could create a financial risk actuation

:22:33. > :22:39.and lead to military misadventure that would make Iraq look like a

:22:40. > :22:44.walk in the park. Bearing in mind your instruction to be concise, I

:22:45. > :22:48.will share with the House what the honourable gentleman said to me when

:22:49. > :22:52.he first joined the committee. He said, Julian, you and I are never

:22:53. > :22:56.going to agree about the nuclear deterrent, but I am sure we can

:22:57. > :23:02.cooperate to mutual advantage and many other defence issues. And he

:23:03. > :23:04.has been as good as his word. I respect his concerns and doubts

:23:05. > :23:08.about the Trident successor programme, and I am sure that the

:23:09. > :23:13.sooner we have the debate, the sooner we will be able to engage in

:23:14. > :23:17.the arguments. Can I commend the honourable gentleman for his

:23:18. > :23:23.chairmanship and leadership of the committee. When you think of Russia,

:23:24. > :23:31.I think of those words, speak softly but carry a big stick. One of the

:23:32. > :23:36.concerns I have is the National Guard which is under the direct

:23:37. > :23:43.control of the president, he can control organised crime and

:23:44. > :23:49.protests. Does the chairman shall my concerns, it is clear that President

:23:50. > :23:56.Putin no longer has any kind of opposition whatsoever. It is there a

:23:57. > :24:03.need -- and is there a need to have a quick response from Nato? Russia

:24:04. > :24:06.can respond in 48 hours and it takes Nato days. We need to be able to

:24:07. > :24:11.engage with Russia at every level and make sure they've protect our

:24:12. > :24:20.people. The honourable gentleman makes an extra enormous and

:24:21. > :24:23.extremely valuable contribution to the committee. The announcement of

:24:24. > :24:30.the creation of this new National Guard in Russia, believed to muster

:24:31. > :24:35.hundreds of thousands of troops, by some reports, but interestingly

:24:36. > :24:38.enough, also including special forces, is of concern. And as it is

:24:39. > :24:43.directly responsible to the president, one can only wonder

:24:44. > :24:49.whether it has something to do with shoring up his position dementedly

:24:50. > :24:58.as well as exert -- domestic league as well as exerting power beyond

:24:59. > :25:02.Russia's borders. The creation of a high modernist joint task force is a

:25:03. > :25:06.step in the right direction but certainly the numbers that should be

:25:07. > :25:09.generated at short notice by the Russian Armed Forces seem to be

:25:10. > :25:15.substantially in excess of what Nato is able to do now or in the

:25:16. > :25:22.immediate future, and we need to be able to do better than that in the

:25:23. > :25:28.medium and long term. I will just begin by welcoming the report, I get

:25:29. > :25:33.concerned in this house when we are talking about Russia in a certain

:25:34. > :25:36.fashion, we are not talking about the communities of Russia who have

:25:37. > :25:42.to live with the Russian state every day. It now sees that -- it is now

:25:43. > :25:49.clear that the Russian Federation views that Britain's position is

:25:50. > :25:56.very weakened, will he agree with me that the lack of investigation into

:25:57. > :26:00.the consequences of Brexit was an oversight, and only ads suck or to

:26:01. > :26:05.the idea in the Kremlin that the United Kingdom does not have any

:26:06. > :26:09.clue what it is doing when it comes with like-minded European nations

:26:10. > :26:15.dealing with a profound threats from the Russian Federation? What a

:26:16. > :26:19.pleasure after although supportive questions to say I am able to

:26:20. > :26:26.disagree with that question. When did Brexit occur? A matter of days

:26:27. > :26:30.ago. And the committee, the committee is to be corrugated and

:26:31. > :26:33.condemned because it has not already carried out a full-scale

:26:34. > :26:35.investigation of the consequences of something that the honourable

:26:36. > :26:43.gentleman was hoping would never happen will stop some of us hope

:26:44. > :26:47.that it would happen but I must say the majority of the committee hoped

:26:48. > :26:51.it would not. He can be sure that the consequences of Brexit feature

:26:52. > :26:57.high up on our future programme of work and I am surprised only that he

:26:58. > :27:00.did not think that we should have carried out the research into the

:27:01. > :27:09.consequences of it before we even knew that it was going to pick

:27:10. > :27:16.place. We now come to the backbench motion on online abuse. I beg to

:27:17. > :27:24.move the motion relating to online abuse. Without digital connectivity

:27:25. > :27:28.and an online world, our lives would be cooler, but the reason for this

:27:29. > :27:34.debate today is our responsibility as elected to sensitive is is clear

:27:35. > :27:39.that this needs to be a force that is for good, not for ill. I believe

:27:40. > :27:44.we'll have a clear duty to come together and demand of the

:27:45. > :27:46.government that they do more address the problems of online abuse in all

:27:47. > :27:49.its forms. More than three quarters its forms. More than three quarters

:27:50. > :27:55.of our constituents use the Internet almost every day. More than half use

:27:56. > :28:00.a mobile phone to access it. Half of all crimes committed in this country

:28:01. > :28:04.have a digital component, and the police are overwhelmed by its scale

:28:05. > :28:09.and diversity, particularly the nature and impact of online abuse.

:28:10. > :28:16.The focus of government in the past has primarily been on online abuse

:28:17. > :28:20.that involves child abuse images. I applaud the Prime Minister in his

:28:21. > :28:24.career and personal abuse to act on this crime. But online abuse is much

:28:25. > :28:29.more than that, for both children and adults. Homophobic, Transco

:28:30. > :28:38.brick, anti-Muslim, anti-Semitic, hate crime to name but a few. Image

:28:39. > :28:42.-based sexual abuse. These forms of abuse and others continue to go

:28:43. > :28:47.unchallenged, because reporting mechanisms are unreliable or

:28:48. > :28:51.obscure, because the law was designed for an analogue age, or

:28:52. > :28:55.because the police are not properly trained to identify online abuse and

:28:56. > :29:00.collecting evidence to make a case stick. We have to reject all forms

:29:01. > :29:05.of online abuse, tissue or zero tolerance through our legal systems,

:29:06. > :29:09.police force and the things we teach our children in schools. It is for

:29:10. > :29:13.us to determine what sort of society we we live in, not faceless

:29:14. > :29:18.corporate organisations often many thousands of miles away. We cannot

:29:19. > :29:24.sit by and simply allow online abuse in all its forms to become an

:29:25. > :29:30.accepted norm in our society. With the growing fire online and off-line

:29:31. > :29:34.worlds, the blurring of those worlds, it's easy to see how that

:29:35. > :29:38.might end. What is allowed to become an accepted form of online abuse

:29:39. > :29:43.could simply spill over in a face-to-face worlds as well. Like

:29:44. > :29:46.every other single member of the house, I believe in freedom of

:29:47. > :29:53.speech, but that freedom of speech has never been an unqualified right.

:29:54. > :29:57.Freedom of speech comes with responsibilities, and at the present

:29:58. > :30:01.time, we're not making sure that people who are expressing themselves

:30:02. > :30:08.online understand that fact. The facts do show the direction of

:30:09. > :30:12.travel. Today, one in four young people say they have been targeted

:30:13. > :30:17.with online hate because of their gender, the sexual orientation, the

:30:18. > :30:25.race, or their transgender identity. The quarters say it has an effect on

:30:26. > :30:28.how they use the Internet in the future, for they are free exchange

:30:29. > :30:35.of ideas. Teachers report a 40% increase in cyber crime, with

:30:36. > :30:37.perpetrators winding new ways to reduce their victims, skirting

:30:38. > :30:46.around the law. Parents have found it almost impossible to get rid of

:30:47. > :30:56.you Tube and making the lives of you Tube and making the lives of

:30:57. > :31:00.many teenagers unbearable. There wouldn't be one MP in this house

:31:01. > :31:04.that hasn't had constituents who have spoken to them about the issue

:31:05. > :31:11.and I commend her for making that point. Not only do we have the

:31:12. > :31:19.trolling of young people, we had the digital usage as well and it all in

:31:20. > :31:23.facts and not just on a young person's personality and how they

:31:24. > :31:27.respond, but in some cases, it has led to suicide and death. Is it not

:31:28. > :31:31.time we have legislation that responded ably to this issue and put

:31:32. > :31:37.those people behind bars, where they those people behind bars, where they

:31:38. > :31:43.should be? He has a long-standing interest in this issue as well,

:31:44. > :31:47.which I know from our conversations. He is right, the law is not

:31:48. > :31:54.protecting many young people, who feel vulnerable, and in some tragic

:31:55. > :31:58.cases, it has led to them taking their own lives. I think we have to

:31:59. > :32:01.take this far more seriously and we have to make sure our laws are

:32:02. > :32:09.robust. To deal with some very unpleasant truths that are within

:32:10. > :32:17.this as well, and particularly the trading of sexual images, which is

:32:18. > :32:21.currently going unchecked, for fear of criminalising teenagers. But we

:32:22. > :32:24.know within these cases, around one in ten could involve an adult,

:32:25. > :32:29.leaving young people at real risk of leaving young people at real risk of

:32:30. > :32:36.sexual exploitation while the police are finding it difficult to know how

:32:37. > :32:39.to cope. Does she agree with me that one of the largest concerns is the

:32:40. > :32:43.under reporting by young people of these issues and surely, what we do

:32:44. > :32:48.see the police see is just the tip of the iceberg. It's important with

:32:49. > :32:53.that the cultural issues around this as well. She brings up good point.

:32:54. > :32:56.Even when the crimes are reported, police find it almost impossible to

:32:57. > :32:59.know how to tackle them, maybe because the law is inadequate, but

:33:00. > :33:07.also because maybe their training is inadequate as well. I recently was

:33:08. > :33:12.given some evidence by Good Morning Britain where they uncovered that

:33:13. > :33:16.one in six crimes reported under revenge pornography laws involved

:33:17. > :33:19.children under 18. That's not children under 18. That's not

:33:20. > :33:23.revenge pornography, that this child abuse, but is being attributed in

:33:24. > :33:27.this way by the police are leading to exactly what she is saying, which

:33:28. > :33:35.is under reporting of one of the most appalling crimes that can

:33:36. > :33:41.exist. I welcome the work she has done on this issue and I have been

:33:42. > :33:46.involved in the Reclaim The Internet campaign to bring organisations and

:33:47. > :33:51.individuals together to tackle online abuse. I agree with her that

:33:52. > :33:53.there are big questions for the law and for policing, particularly

:33:54. > :33:57.it comes to protecting young people. it comes to protecting young people.

:33:58. > :34:02.But that she also agree that we need much stronger responsibility from

:34:03. > :34:07.everyone, including other organisations and social media

:34:08. > :34:11.platforms, and which she welcome the work that Stonewall and Facebook

:34:12. > :34:15.have been doing to tackle online bullying and LG BT discrimination

:34:16. > :34:22.and homophobia and the work they have been doing to launch a new

:34:23. > :34:27.online guides tomorrow? Thank you for intervening and highlighting the

:34:28. > :34:33.work that is going on in this area. I do contribute to the campaign she

:34:34. > :34:38.has started as a cross-party campaign, to make sure we can come

:34:39. > :34:41.together and fight a unified solution to this problem, which I

:34:42. > :34:47.think is one of the biggest problems is country is facing at the moment.

:34:48. > :34:51.Because online abuse is not something that simply affects one

:34:52. > :34:54.group of people, it goes across society and is wrecking the lives of

:34:55. > :34:59.adults as well. This government does have to be applauded for being one

:35:00. > :35:05.of the first in the world to recognise online image -based sexual

:35:06. > :35:10.pornography laws, which is the pornography laws, which is the

:35:11. > :35:15.leader of the house, when he was Lord Chancellor, was instrumental in

:35:16. > :35:18.putting into place. This actually has been vindicated, because have

:35:19. > :35:22.been more than 3000 calls to the revenge pornography helpline since

:35:23. > :35:27.these laws were passed, laws which I was told when not needed, because

:35:28. > :35:30.was inadequate law in place already. We've had 1000 reported incidents in

:35:31. > :35:33.just six months last year. There is just six months last year. There is

:35:34. > :35:37.much more to do to make those more effective and make the police able

:35:38. > :35:41.to prosecute effectively, but I think it shows the government is

:35:42. > :35:46.open to persuasion on this issue and hope it shows open-mindedness for

:35:47. > :35:50.the future. Because now is the time for a very clear strategy to tackle

:35:51. > :35:54.these problems. Every person in the country, regardless of that age

:35:55. > :35:59.should have an expectation to be able to use social media platforms

:36:00. > :36:02.and mobile technology without being subject to criminal abuse. The

:36:03. > :36:10.online world as part of everybody's lives. The Minister on the front

:36:11. > :36:15.bench today, has a deep interest and knowledge of these issues and I know

:36:16. > :36:18.the personal work he has done behind-the-scenes to try and press

:36:19. > :36:22.forward on many of these issues, and he should be commended for that. The

:36:23. > :36:28.minister's proposals in the Digital economy Bill to stop underage access

:36:29. > :36:31.to pornography, I know they have been subject to a great deal of

:36:32. > :36:39.attention from him. They are very welcomed, but they do reinforce a

:36:40. > :36:44.piecemeal approach to this problem. Experts have already made clear that

:36:45. > :36:47.children will be more than well equipped to get round most barriers

:36:48. > :36:54.that will be put up to stop them getting access to pornography. This

:36:55. > :36:57.may well be an approach which can help us stop younger children

:36:58. > :37:01.inadvertently coming across pornography, which is something I

:37:02. > :37:06.know the NSPCC have highlighted in some recent research, but we need to

:37:07. > :37:13.understand that if this government's policy is to be effective, it has to

:37:14. > :37:15.be part of a much broader and clearer strategic plan, which

:37:16. > :37:21.includes mandatory sexual education in all of our state funded schools,

:37:22. > :37:26.but also that children can be given the opportunity to understand how to

:37:27. > :37:29.make the right choices for them and a bit pornography Lacey into the

:37:30. > :37:37.proper perspective is in their lives. I join with others in

:37:38. > :37:40.commending her on this debate. She mentions the multifaceted approach,

:37:41. > :37:45.including one of the areas that concerns me, when I hear cases in my

:37:46. > :37:51.constituency, which is the irresponsibility of some parents,

:37:52. > :37:55.who give media and digital platform devices to their children at a very

:37:56. > :38:00.young age and then leave them to it. Surely, we need to do more to

:38:01. > :38:04.educate the parents as to their responsibility, how they can teach

:38:05. > :38:10.their children to manage these devices in a responsible way. He is

:38:11. > :38:14.absolutely right. We find it very easy to talk about putting

:38:15. > :38:18.responsibilities onto schools to teach them, but it starts with

:38:19. > :38:22.parents. If we're getting these devices to our children, and I would

:38:23. > :38:26.also say gaming devices as well, because that is obviously clear

:38:27. > :38:29.problems there with regard to the grooming of children, that we have

:38:30. > :38:33.to make sure they are knowledgeable to make sure they are knowledgeable

:38:34. > :38:39.about the risks and that they can start to make informed choices from

:38:40. > :38:45.a very early age. But that can be so easily reinforced at school and,

:38:46. > :38:50.while in the past I have been very open that I have felt section major

:38:51. > :38:53.occasion should be something that is determined by a school, but I think

:38:54. > :38:58.as we move into this online world, the very real dangers and problems

:38:59. > :39:03.that children are encountering, it has certainly changed my view on the

:39:04. > :39:07.need to make that compulsively. The online world has some of the best

:39:08. > :39:14.and the brightest people working in it. The response to the child abuse

:39:15. > :39:19.problems, child abuse image problems we had, shows that when pressure is

:39:20. > :39:25.applied, this incredibly creative industry can react and react quite

:39:26. > :39:28.swiftly. When we are clear about our terms of engagement, and this debate

:39:29. > :39:34.today is about enabling Parliament to send a clear message to the

:39:35. > :39:37.industry, to social media and the online world, to say enough is

:39:38. > :39:43.enough. Our constituents deserve better, and we will fight, as the

:39:44. > :39:48.Right Honourable lady has said in her campaign, to reclaim the

:39:49. > :39:52.Internet for them. I'd like to take this responsibility to thank the

:39:53. > :39:58.Backbench Business Committee are recognising the importance of this

:39:59. > :40:02.debate and allowing myself and I are both friends to sponsor this debate

:40:03. > :40:04.together. I'd also like to thank the myriad of organisations who have

:40:05. > :40:13.worked with me and my honourable friend to prepare for the debate

:40:14. > :40:18.with Durham University, NSPCC, Stonewall, the list goes on, because

:40:19. > :40:22.that are so many organisations who have a deep concern about the

:40:23. > :40:28.direction of travel. Social media platforms and Internet providers are

:40:29. > :40:33.facilitators, like many other organisations in our country, they

:40:34. > :40:37.provide a service, a service with a label to gather personal details in

:40:38. > :40:41.order to sell the advertising opportunities. It can sometimes be

:40:42. > :40:44.quite astonishing how you can view appeared issues on website and have

:40:45. > :40:49.hours later. In an entirely hours later. In an entirely

:40:50. > :40:56.different context. I really take my hat off to them in a way the little

:40:57. > :41:01.to do this. It is a sophisticated industry, with sensitive and

:41:02. > :41:04.well-developed ways to gather information to sell sales

:41:05. > :41:09.opportunities and then obviously to make a successful business out of

:41:10. > :41:14.that. So what I am calling for today is for some of that incredible

:41:15. > :41:18.talent and expertise to be focused on stopping online abuse. There are

:41:19. > :41:24.four issues I think that need to be addressed. First, we need to make

:41:25. > :41:29.sure we have laws that are fit for purpose and I pay tribute to the

:41:30. > :41:34.work done by Durham University in particular. We need to clarify what

:41:35. > :41:41.constitutes online abuse, we need better and clearer harassment laws,

:41:42. > :41:46.we need image -based sexual abuse law, which makes all forms of image

:41:47. > :41:51.-based sexual abuse sheared in a non-consensual manner in legal, we

:41:52. > :41:55.need to have, we need to end complete unanimous in mid-2 in the

:41:56. > :41:59.UK, we need to insist that platforms have a legal duty to be able to

:42:00. > :42:04.identify the people who use their products in our country.

:42:05. > :42:13.We need to make clear that those platforms have two abide by a common

:42:14. > :42:18.standard. They need to provide accurate figures on the cases of

:42:19. > :42:22.reported abuse. When they are developing products, it needs to be

:42:23. > :42:26.done in a way which builds out abuse in the future, rather than building

:42:27. > :42:32.it in at the starting point. We need to be clear to online providers in

:42:33. > :42:38.our country that if they failed to take sensible measures to reduce

:42:39. > :42:43.online abuse, we as Apollo and should be considering putting in

:42:44. > :42:51.place a levy to cover the costs are policing -- as a Parliament. This is

:42:52. > :42:57.something that's been done in other areas, and I think here about the

:42:58. > :43:01.payments made by football teams to have policing of football stadium

:43:02. > :43:05.will stop this isn't a new idea but is one which might concentrate the

:43:06. > :43:09.mind when it comes to online abuse in the future. Madam Deputy is

:43:10. > :43:14.bigger, last but not these, we need to see a change in culture. I

:43:15. > :43:17.believe that changing culture should be around, send, respect and

:43:18. > :43:23.dignity. And that needs to be at the heart of eight compulsory delivered

:43:24. > :43:29.sex and later Jeb education in all of our schools, but to go beyond and

:43:30. > :43:35.to rent some pains to make sure people know their own

:43:36. > :43:40.responsibilities to act responsible. That'll be driven greatly by

:43:41. > :43:46.removing the veil of anonymity, which currently cloaks so many

:43:47. > :43:49.inputs into social media. Madam Deputy Speaker, where there is a

:43:50. > :43:54.well, there is a way, then the Minister today will want to show the

:43:55. > :43:57.House there is a clear rule coming from government. More than four

:43:58. > :44:01.years ago, the Prime Minister said there was no tolerance of child

:44:02. > :44:06.abuse on mine, and at that point the industry had said it could do little

:44:07. > :44:13.about it. Now there is a clear strategy, protocols and images

:44:14. > :44:15.removed swiftly. Where a worrying increase in online hate crime

:44:16. > :44:22.spilling onto the offline world, we need to make sure we act swiftly. We

:44:23. > :44:31.need to make sure that cyber bullying and the newly formed

:44:32. > :44:35.concept of online dating is shown short shrift, now is the time to

:44:36. > :44:39.act. The Minister need to show us he has an understanding of the need for

:44:40. > :44:48.a clear strategy to tackle online abuse in its totality. In the

:44:49. > :44:52.digital goal communication act, he has the vehicle he needs, to make

:44:53. > :44:58.any changes that such a strategy might call for. My honourable friend

:44:59. > :45:03.is a good man, you knows the online worlds needs to have a clear message

:45:04. > :45:08.from this House. My hope is he listens to the debate today. He

:45:09. > :45:12.listens to it intently and takes the message back to his departments and

:45:13. > :45:22.back to the industry itself to say that now is the time for change. If

:45:23. > :45:31.everybody takes eight minutes and no longer, I don't need to impose a

:45:32. > :45:36.time limit. I want to begin by thanking The right honourable member

:45:37. > :45:38.for Basingstoke for securing this debate on the backbench committee

:45:39. > :45:46.too. She's done a great deal in her role as chair, and indeed before

:45:47. > :45:51.that on problems of online abuse increasingly experienced by women. I

:45:52. > :45:56.want to commend to particularly for her work on the revenge born

:45:57. > :46:01.legislation. We know online abuse can take a variety of forms, cruel

:46:02. > :46:06.commons and messages, the sharing of photos without consent, being sent

:46:07. > :46:10.unwanted images or threats of sexual or physical violence. Whilst there

:46:11. > :46:17.is a range of forms of online abuse, one thing is clear, that is online

:46:18. > :46:22.abuse is happening consistently across all social media platforms

:46:23. > :46:30.and something more needs to be done to stop it. I'm pleased to be

:46:31. > :46:35.supporting my right honourable friend's campaign along with other

:46:36. > :46:43.members of the House, to reclaim the Internet campaign, which aims to

:46:44. > :46:46.demand change so voices are not silent by sexism, racism,

:46:47. > :46:57.homophobia, transfer beer or any other forms of intimidation online.

:46:58. > :47:03.-- transphobia. It will bring together antibody and campaigners,

:47:04. > :47:08.groups and members of the industry itself to see what steps can be

:47:09. > :47:12.taken to stop abusive behaviour. I hope it is a campaign that all

:47:13. > :47:17.members of the House can get behind. As I mentioned, the issue of online

:47:18. > :47:23.abuse affects many people and groups in society, but it seems women are

:47:24. > :47:28.subject particularly, and I want to focus my comments on women today.

:47:29. > :47:32.Online abuse for women contains frequent use of threats of sexual

:47:33. > :47:37.violence and a rubber treat common is about women's Perrins and bodies,

:47:38. > :47:42.they are the major victims of revenge born, explicit photos, which

:47:43. > :47:47.I shared without consent, those individuals who perpetrate online

:47:48. > :47:53.abuse take even greater pleasure in shouting down women who speak out

:47:54. > :47:57.against it. I think this is something which we have two address.

:47:58. > :48:02.I'm sure many of my fellow female members from across the House are

:48:03. > :48:06.all-too-familiar with this kind of online abuse. What we do know is

:48:07. > :48:11.anonymity and distance that people think the social media gives them

:48:12. > :48:15.enables them to say things online that I hope they would never say

:48:16. > :48:20.face-to-face. But this online abuse must be tackled so it doesn't

:48:21. > :48:24.prevent women from wanting to get involved in public life. And when it

:48:25. > :48:27.comes the young people and online abuse, it is young women who are

:48:28. > :48:41.disproportionately affected as well. A study in the United States found

:48:42. > :48:45.25% of women aged 18 to 24 had been targeted by harassment, and 26% had

:48:46. > :48:52.been stalked online. That's one in four women, it is appalling. It's

:48:53. > :48:56.need to me made clear this behaviour is acceptable. The study I refer to

:48:57. > :49:01.also found men are more likely to report online abuse than women, said

:49:02. > :49:07.there is some kind of disconnect going on where women don't feel able

:49:08. > :49:11.to report, maybe feel it is not even a reportable crime. I think it

:49:12. > :49:15.enables women to take their complaints to police, which is

:49:16. > :49:30.something we have two address as well. I will give way. I'm grateful

:49:31. > :49:33.because she hit it right. In the case of revenge born, do she agree

:49:34. > :49:38.that one of the things that could make a difference would be if we

:49:39. > :49:42.were to give anonymity to those who have been victims of it? That would

:49:43. > :49:46.be something that would bring more people forward to make complaints,

:49:47. > :49:51.leading to prosecutions. The right honourable gentleman makes an

:49:52. > :50:01.interesting point and is one we need to look at in more detail. And the

:50:02. > :50:05.issue affects young children, younger children, and young women

:50:06. > :50:10.still at school. One of the ways in which the issue of online abuse was

:50:11. > :50:16.first brought my attention was by head teachers in my constituency

:50:17. > :50:19.coming tell me what problem online abuse is in schools and asking if I

:50:20. > :50:24.could raise the issue in Parliament and see what could be done to try

:50:25. > :50:29.and help teachers and others in school to tackle it. I'm also a

:50:30. > :50:35.member of the Commonwealth woman Parliament, a branch, and we've

:50:36. > :50:40.looked at the issue of relevance against women and in particular the

:50:41. > :50:46.rise of online abuse as a form of violence against women. This is

:50:47. > :50:53.becoming such a significant element of women's public life that we made

:50:54. > :50:59.it one of the key things of our conference, our international

:51:00. > :51:04.conference in 2015. We heard from groups who outlined the difficulty

:51:05. > :51:09.of tackling horrific online abuse of women, along with legal

:51:10. > :51:13.professionals who also pointed out that current legislation simply

:51:14. > :51:21.isn't where it needs to be on this issue. And what we did through that

:51:22. > :51:26.conference was identifying online abuse as a global phenomenon, and we

:51:27. > :51:29.wanted to work with partners in other countries so we can end up

:51:30. > :51:35.with the best legislation possible. And that work is ongoing. But I'd

:51:36. > :51:39.also like to take this opportunity to praise my own constabulary in

:51:40. > :51:44.Durham and achieve Constable, who has been at the forefront of

:51:45. > :51:47.speaking on this issue from a policing perspective and he is had

:51:48. > :51:51.it in the at the time police are putting in to having to deal with

:51:52. > :51:56.instances which have occurred online. He has also talked about the

:51:57. > :52:04.need to clarify legislation to make it much easier for police to deal

:52:05. > :52:08.with complaints about online abuse, and in exactly how to tackle them

:52:09. > :52:13.and when to put them into a criminal category. We will need to make sure

:52:14. > :52:18.our police are as well equipped as they can be to deal with the ever

:52:19. > :52:22.changing nature of crime and the New World of online harassment. In

:52:23. > :52:26.particular, we need to make sure they have the resources to deal with

:52:27. > :52:32.it, but police officers also need to have the training to deal with it

:52:33. > :52:39.because only 7500 out of 100,000 police officers in England and Wales

:52:40. > :52:43.have the training. I do welcome the move is the government have made in

:52:44. > :52:47.this area and they know the Minister sitting on the front bench will be

:52:48. > :52:53.listening to what we have to say today. As we become increasingly

:52:54. > :52:57.technological, we need to ensure our laws reflect that. Again, I want to

:52:58. > :53:06.pay tribute to the work that's being done at Durham University, which is

:53:07. > :53:10.outlining very clearly to as how we need to consolidate legislation that

:53:11. > :53:17.already exists, update legislation that exists and then have a very

:53:18. > :53:20.clear strategy as to how that legislation is implemented and

:53:21. > :53:25.enforced, and it is only when we do that, Madam Deputy Speaker, I hope

:53:26. > :53:29.we get the change in culture, which is what the right honourable lady

:53:30. > :53:36.was stressing earlier, that we need to stop all forms of online abuse

:53:37. > :53:42.happening. I would also like to find the backbench minister and my right

:53:43. > :53:50.honourable friend forgiven us the opportunity to talk about this

:53:51. > :53:56.issue. I expect I came to this after a few incidents being reported in my

:53:57. > :54:01.own consistency, and I thought I was uncovering something Ltd and

:54:02. > :54:05.isolated and an occasional problem. Even in the short space of time

:54:06. > :54:10.looking more deeply, I discovered it is in fact a huge issue which is

:54:11. > :54:14.affecting vast as our people, young and old, not just of my own

:54:15. > :54:20.catchment spread across the rest of the UK. This is well illustrated by

:54:21. > :54:24.the information from victims aboard who worked with 4000 children in

:54:25. > :54:30.schools over the last three years. They tell them 56% of those 12,000

:54:31. > :54:35.children were identified as victims of online crime. This is a

:54:36. > :54:39.staggering and worrying statistic. 41% reported targeted bullion online

:54:40. > :54:45.from their peers, and a third reported being sent non-requested

:54:46. > :54:49.online pornography. This is a significant underestimation of the

:54:50. > :54:53.problem, because a lot of people may be fearful of reporting this, may

:54:54. > :55:00.not know how to do it or indeed where to go. But as we've heard

:55:01. > :55:05.before, I don't want to repeat what has been said word for word, but

:55:06. > :55:11.this isn't just a problem which impacts on young people and their

:55:12. > :55:14.families, we know we are talking about racism, gender issues,

:55:15. > :55:20.homophobia, anti-Semitic abuse, we are talking about prejudice and

:55:21. > :55:29.intimidation, including religion, sex, and just in some cases people's

:55:30. > :55:39.everyday beliefs. You go, they serve eight 2000 adults, 81% reported

:55:40. > :55:43.bullion as commonplace, 56% reported it commonplace at work and city 4%

:55:44. > :55:53.believe it is widespread free society generally. I wonder, had

:55:54. > :55:57.YouGov undertaking that a few years ago, what the consequences would

:55:58. > :56:02.have been. It knows no barriers, it is for the young and old, it can be

:56:03. > :56:06.anonymous. It was described to me like a persistent headache in which

:56:07. > :56:11.you simply can't escape. There is no safe place you can go. No private

:56:12. > :56:18.haven where you can escape the impact of the online bullion. It can

:56:19. > :56:27.lead to damage to reputation, loss of jobs, relationship breakdowns,

:56:28. > :56:32.isolation and even suicide. One of the issues we discovered when we

:56:33. > :56:36.will look into it is nobody really knows exactly how big the issue is.

:56:37. > :56:41.This is part of the problem, this is what we are trying to understand.

:56:42. > :56:45.With over 30 pieces of legislation covering crimes, it is difficult to

:56:46. > :56:51.get a really clear picture. The closest we could come was courtesy

:56:52. > :57:02.of the library, prosecution starts under section 127. In 2004, 143

:57:03. > :57:08.people were found guilty, cautions proceeded against them. In 2014, ten

:57:09. > :57:18.years later, that had gone up to 1002 ended and nine, and that was an

:57:19. > :57:22.80% increase in the years 2014 -- 1209. That is a dramatic increase in

:57:23. > :57:29.prosecutions under that one single piece of that abuses of available

:57:30. > :57:33.legislation. There is a concern about consistent terminology. We

:57:34. > :57:38.don't seem to really be able to define clearly exactly what online

:57:39. > :57:44.abuse is, but there does seem to be some concern within the law of some

:57:45. > :57:47.misunderstanding of what it is. Therefore how can we define it and

:57:48. > :57:56.therefore there can be an inconsistent application of the law.

:57:57. > :58:05.We welcome the the revised guidelines, but there is a bit of a

:58:06. > :58:10.question about whether that goes quite far enough. I'm also concerned

:58:11. > :58:15.that the Government earlier this year said it did not intend to

:58:16. > :58:19.introduce specific additional legislation to address online

:58:20. > :58:23.harassment and Internet trolling. The reason the Government gave for

:58:24. > :58:26.this is a didn't want to find itself in a position where young people

:58:27. > :58:31.were being unnecessarily criminalised. That's an entirely

:58:32. > :58:34.justifiable position, but it does demonstrate I think a narrow

:58:35. > :58:39.awareness of the true scale of the problem and doesn't take into

:58:40. > :58:47.account the many other target groups who find themselves victims of this

:58:48. > :58:53.kind of problem. The Minister on her feet did go as far as think it is

:58:54. > :58:59.imperative for these laws rigorously enforced. I think that an issue we

:59:00. > :59:08.must address with those charged with doing that. How does this harassment

:59:09. > :59:12.take place? As we have heard, it is abusive messages, online, text,

:59:13. > :59:16.e-mail, social media, Digital photos used to embarrass the victim, sexual

:59:17. > :59:21.grooming, extortion, blackmail and anything else these people seem to

:59:22. > :59:27.be all to think of. I did National stalking helpline has already been

:59:28. > :59:32.referred to so find the debate, but their statistics show the highest

:59:33. > :59:35.percentage of abusive behaviour is digital rather than off-line and

:59:36. > :59:39.children and adults are now finding themselves in this world where --

:59:40. > :59:43.from which there is no escape from this kind of activity, the more

:59:44. > :59:48.dependent we become on online activity generally. So the question

:59:49. > :59:52.is do we know the scale of the problem, it seems we do not. How

:59:53. > :59:57.many people are afraid to report it? We don't know, except in other

:59:58. > :00:00.thousands. How many do not know how to report it or who to report it to?

:00:01. > :00:05.We don't know the answer to that either. It is probably plenty

:00:06. > :00:08.though. Our schools are equipped to spot the signs and should the

:00:09. > :00:14.responsibility lie exclusively with them? I don't think we know the

:00:15. > :00:17.answer to that either. Or the police train, do they have the resources,

:00:18. > :00:22.are they serious about healing with some of the reports they get? We

:00:23. > :00:26.don't know the answer to that. All the existing law satisfactorily

:00:27. > :00:31.enforced when it appears that even from the responsible Government

:00:32. > :00:37.minister that they actually believe there is further enforcement issues

:00:38. > :00:41.to be addressed? And do the social media platforms take the

:00:42. > :00:45.responsibility -- responsibilities seriously enough? It has been

:00:46. > :00:51.referred to by my colleagues opposite earlier that organisations

:00:52. > :00:55.like Facebook and Twitter have done a great deal to try and improve the

:00:56. > :01:02.situation and are taking this problem seriously. Books, and there

:01:03. > :01:05.is a but, if we, some of us in this chamber of the nerve to go back to

:01:06. > :01:09.the days when communication through printed newspaper, there was no

:01:10. > :01:14.question at all that if any of us wrote a letter to the editor in the

:01:15. > :01:18.days we could do and contained within it some of the stuff which

:01:19. > :01:24.now appears to be perfectly reasonable to put on Twitter or

:01:25. > :01:28.Facebook that we would have added a blip into an open the bin. But now,

:01:29. > :01:33.some of these platforms are facilitated some pretty disgusting

:01:34. > :01:37.material and sort of saying it is up to the victim to complain to the

:01:38. > :01:44.police if wish. I am not sure that the social media platforms could

:01:45. > :01:52.work... Quite the position where we can say they are fully responsible.

:01:53. > :01:56.So to finish, it good news that the cps have a knowledge concerned that

:01:57. > :01:59.this is by news that the Government feels there is nothing further it is

:02:00. > :02:02.obliged to do at this stage. It is good news is there such a wide

:02:03. > :02:05.collection of charities and organisations and groups who have

:02:06. > :02:11.helped us and bringing this to public attention. It is good news

:02:12. > :02:15.that the Duke of Cambridge is behind the prevention of cyber bullying. As

:02:16. > :02:19.he put it, we need to stand up and not stand by. The reason for that is

:02:20. > :02:23.that I am not worried we are living in a world where somehow, this kind

:02:24. > :02:27.of language, this kind of code, these can of incidents we read about

:02:28. > :02:32.becoming so widespread and so common that they are almost becoming

:02:33. > :02:38.normal. And they become normal, then what hope can we have for children

:02:39. > :02:42.and honourable adults living in this kind of cyber world? It is for that

:02:43. > :02:48.reason that we thought it would be appropriate to bring it to the

:02:49. > :02:51.House's attention today. Can I congratulate the member for

:02:52. > :02:56.Basingstoke for bringing this important debate to the Backbench

:02:57. > :03:02.Business Committee. This is a serious ongoing problem for all in a

:03:03. > :03:08.modern society and it spans all age groups and demographics. We know

:03:09. > :03:11.that research commissioned by some group that 10,000 tweets are several

:03:12. > :03:15.UK gallons simply three bees aggressively attacking somebody as I

:03:16. > :03:20.quote, being a shut or a horse. Revenge point helpline received 4000

:03:21. > :03:26.calls in the last year with cases as young as 11 years old been reported.

:03:27. > :03:31.According to the largest teaching union in the UK, over half of

:03:32. > :03:34.teachers report receiving online abuse as well. In February this

:03:35. > :03:40.year, the UK safe Internet centre published a study which find --

:03:41. > :03:45.found that of those 13-18 -year-old survey, 24% had been targeted

:03:46. > :03:49.because of their gender, sexual orientation, race, religion,

:03:50. > :03:55.disability or transgender identity. One in 25 said they were singled out

:03:56. > :04:01.for abuse all or most of the time. While this abuse has banned all of

:04:02. > :04:06.society, teenagers with disabilities and mostly African, Caribbean, Asian

:04:07. > :04:10.or Middle Eastern groups were more likely to encounter cyber bullying.

:04:11. > :04:14.Parliaments and governments across the UK have a responsibility to face

:04:15. > :04:19.up to the issue and take appropriate action to prevent and indeed

:04:20. > :04:23.addressed it. That is why in Scotland our First Minister has been

:04:24. > :04:27.very vocal in condemning this issue while the Scottish Government have

:04:28. > :04:30.also provided full funding to Scotland's and bullying service

:04:31. > :04:34.which is managed by the Association for mental health. This vital

:04:35. > :04:37.service works with adults involved in the lives of children and young

:04:38. > :04:40.people to give them practical skills and confidence to deal with children

:04:41. > :04:46.who are bullied and those who bully others. I think it is important to

:04:47. > :04:49.those of us in public life to provide leadership on this issue and

:04:50. > :04:54.I know that all members here will agree that no one, no one should

:04:55. > :05:00.have to access online abuse and also been subject to this most reported

:05:01. > :05:05.to the police and was not suffer in silence, nor should they suffer

:05:06. > :05:08.alone. I want to be able to use on my own personal experience of this

:05:09. > :05:14.issue to encourage the public to stand up to online abuse. And as for

:05:15. > :05:19.those in public life to show stronger public leadership in the

:05:20. > :05:22.conduct of our public debate. When I decided to start up Oliver but I did

:05:23. > :05:26.so because I wanted to make a positive difference to the lives of

:05:27. > :05:29.people in my constituency and across the country. I did so in the full

:05:30. > :05:32.knowledge that by standing up for what I believe in I would hold

:05:33. > :05:37.myself open to challenge for those who don't share my political

:05:38. > :05:40.beliefs. A robust, honest political debate about our views is a vital

:05:41. > :05:45.part of any democracy and we should embrace it. But as we saw from the

:05:46. > :05:49.report published by Sir John Chilcott yesterday, an absence of

:05:50. > :05:53.critical the bit in Parliament and in the democratic system can have

:05:54. > :05:55.disastrous consequences. I came in with a full knowledge and

:05:56. > :06:02.expectation that my words and actions will be held up to public

:06:03. > :06:06.scrutiny and that is right. What has and has taken my breath away though,

:06:07. > :06:10.shocked my family and reduced me to tears is the virtually hateful and

:06:11. > :06:15.sometimes criminal levels of personal abuse that I and colleagues

:06:16. > :06:19.across this House have faced. I've received hateful handwritten letters

:06:20. > :06:22.containing sexual slurs, phone calls to my office threatening violence to

:06:23. > :06:27.my staff and myself and racist e-mails speaking at what people want

:06:28. > :06:31.to do to people like me who Muslims. Communications like these are,, but

:06:32. > :06:37.they are not an everyday experience. I should say at this point that I'm

:06:38. > :06:41.grateful for the work of the police here at Westminster, in Scotland and

:06:42. > :06:45.across the UK for the work they do in helping support those who are

:06:46. > :06:50.falling victim to these crimes and investigate those who are the

:06:51. > :06:54.perpetrators. I know they provide estimate that a level of support to

:06:55. > :06:57.victims regardless of their background or circumstances and it

:06:58. > :07:02.is very important we must all encourage reporting it at every

:07:03. > :07:06.stage. I know I'm not alone in my determination to make myself open

:07:07. > :07:09.and available to those to whom I'm accountable and in the 21st-century,

:07:10. > :07:13.that means being active on social media. I agree as:'s first minute

:07:14. > :07:18.when she said that it is a positive power of Twitter and Facebook and

:07:19. > :07:20.because of it we can communicate directly with our constituents about

:07:21. > :07:25.the work we are doing on their behalf and hear their views without

:07:26. > :07:28.a filter or barrier between us. But the great tragedy of this new

:07:29. > :07:33.technology for all of us is the advancement of online bullying,

:07:34. > :07:36.abuse and threats. I know this horrific experience is not just

:07:37. > :07:40.confined to those of us across this chamber. I want to say directly to

:07:41. > :07:44.those watching from outside Parliament who have been victims of

:07:45. > :07:49.online abuse, from all of us here today that we stand right beside

:07:50. > :07:53.you, because we know how it feels. We understand the pain you have been

:07:54. > :07:59.through and will do our best to address this horrendous issue. The

:08:00. > :08:06.past 14 months have seen equal in that sea, received messages calling

:08:07. > :08:09.for me to be shot as a traitor,. Recently I spoke to a Sunday

:08:10. > :08:13.newspaper were grateful for the article they published which include

:08:14. > :08:20.some of the dreadful things that I have had said to me, none of them

:08:21. > :08:24.are worthy of repeating. My husband sees these messages, my children

:08:25. > :08:27.read this garbage. My staff are required to wade through this

:08:28. > :08:34.sickening filled each day to get to the important information they need

:08:35. > :08:39.to do their jobs. I am grateful, she is making an honourable point. But

:08:40. > :08:42.she agree with me that all victims, including politicians should be

:08:43. > :08:46.given all the help and support they need and deserve to move on in their

:08:47. > :08:54.life and their careers and Britney but the traitors to justice? --

:08:55. > :08:59.bring the traitors to justice. I agree with her. It is difficult for

:09:00. > :09:03.anyone who faces eight and is in anticipation we all have to be

:09:04. > :09:06.strong, but maybe we all are not and some people are different levels of

:09:07. > :09:10.strength to others so there must be support mechanisms and help people

:09:11. > :09:14.to move on. But the matter who the victim is, this is disgusting and

:09:15. > :09:16.violence which is why our support the very honourable aims and

:09:17. > :09:20.objectives of the reclaim the Internet campaign and can I play --

:09:21. > :09:25.pay tribute and compassionate all those involved in setting this up

:09:26. > :09:29.across this chamber and beyond and in seizing the initiative. We must

:09:30. > :09:31.examine the role of the police and prosecutors and the clear around

:09:32. > :09:36.where the threats and harassment become crimes. Social media and

:09:37. > :09:40.publishing platforms must access this series issue and take steps to

:09:41. > :09:43.address it. We are entitled to expect more from Facebook and

:09:44. > :09:48.Twitter in their handling of these issues. We must look all to provide

:09:49. > :09:51.support for victims and outer take on each roles and we must empower

:09:52. > :09:56.and educate our young people about these issues and how to address

:09:57. > :10:02.them. The individual members of Parliament are not responsible for

:10:03. > :10:05.this specific content written by others, but we are responsible for

:10:06. > :10:13.setting the tone of the national debate. I blew that a vital point in

:10:14. > :10:16.our politics and we have recently made significant and defining

:10:17. > :10:22.decisions about the type of country, society we want to be. We can

:10:23. > :10:27.embrace the politics of hope or the politics of hate. It is our role as

:10:28. > :10:32.a lecturer presents tips to show leadership and conduct ourselves in

:10:33. > :10:35.a way which divides the political debates and in closing, Madam Deputy

:10:36. > :10:39.Speaker, I will say to those that may be watching who are doling out

:10:40. > :10:50.abuse on the Internet, Babbs even as we speak, that you are the cowards.

:10:51. > :10:54.But we will stand up for the brave. Tragically, online abuse has become

:10:55. > :10:59.a part of all our lives. I have been subject to it and I'm not a member

:11:00. > :11:03.of a minority, religion or race, but like many other members, I've had

:11:04. > :11:07.abuse online. Nothing that has really hurt or affect me terribly,

:11:08. > :11:12.but on one occasion, I simply posted online some comment about some boy

:11:13. > :11:15.racers who are causing anti-social behaviour and within about an hour,

:11:16. > :11:21.I was being abused from all around the globe. It came from boy racers

:11:22. > :11:26.who had obviously noticed a deficit in my sex life and were offering a

:11:27. > :11:29.wide range of suggestions to improve this, some of which would have ended

:11:30. > :11:48.in certain death. It is becoming clear to me from my

:11:49. > :11:51.mailbox how much online Internet abuse is affecting my residence, it

:11:52. > :11:57.is growing all the time, whether it is chilled and women facing

:11:58. > :12:02.stalking. Or from ex-partners. I have noticed within just the last

:12:03. > :12:06.two years, an enormous improvement in the police response, where is two

:12:07. > :12:09.years ago, I was finding we were suggesting to women they came off

:12:10. > :12:17.Facebook or stopped being online. They now have more appropriate

:12:18. > :12:21.responses and I'm recognising the police recognise net you should be

:12:22. > :12:25.saved to be online as part of the modern age, as you should be walking

:12:26. > :12:32.in the street. We still have some way to go. I'm pleased to say that

:12:33. > :12:39.today, it has been recognised that Essex Police, they are indeed rated

:12:40. > :12:46.as effective and reliable in their treatment of runnable victims. It is

:12:47. > :12:50.incredibly important we get the legislation right for this. As the

:12:51. > :12:55.Minister is sitting listening to this. My Chief Constable said it has

:12:56. > :12:58.been pointed out the police are dealing with 30 different pieces of

:12:59. > :13:03.legislation which are not working for victims. The legislations are

:13:04. > :13:07.either out of date or don't go further and nerve and the police

:13:08. > :13:13.need to be trained to deal with the magnitude of cases of online abuse.

:13:14. > :13:20.Our role must be when we are taken forward the recently digital bill,

:13:21. > :13:24.that we future proof read and are not playing catch up in this arena

:13:25. > :13:31.because the worlds of the Digital economy is growing and is becoming

:13:32. > :13:34.more sophisticated. The pace of change is outstripping the pace of

:13:35. > :13:38.change and other technologies. I'd like to make a wider points, which

:13:39. > :13:51.has been picked up on by my right on boyfriend for calm on We all see the

:13:52. > :13:55.vile comments on your local newspaper or national newspaper, and

:13:56. > :14:00.those we get on Twitter. We have seen in the last week, post-Brexit,

:14:01. > :14:06.an appalling upsurge of racist comments, all which are vile and

:14:07. > :14:12.should be prosecuted. We've also seen quite a shocking thing in the

:14:13. > :14:17.wake of Brexit, which is quite nice, liberal minded people, people who

:14:18. > :14:21.would process themselves to be aggressive and think it is

:14:22. > :14:30.reasonable to abuse 17 million of their fellow countrymen as being

:14:31. > :14:37.clearly stupid or racist. This is no less a liberal thinking to say, all

:14:38. > :14:41.people of a certain race, it is no less intolerant. The fact where we

:14:42. > :14:48.have a culture where people think they can say these things, even

:14:49. > :14:55.intelligent people, online, they are turning into... Saying things they

:14:56. > :14:58.would never dream of saying face-to-face, and therefore I have

:14:59. > :15:05.to say we all have a responsible to to deal with this in our culture,

:15:06. > :15:09.because if that's is acceptable, no window women don't come forward and

:15:10. > :15:14.take the grant of the attacks they have, no wonder children think it is

:15:15. > :15:17.right to be attacked, no wonder the perpetrators and criminals feel

:15:18. > :15:22.emboldened and their behaviour is normal. I would say to everyone who

:15:23. > :15:26.goes online, please post nothing you would not write or not prepared to

:15:27. > :15:29.give your full name and address, this is a cultural issue and

:15:30. > :15:33.legislation alone will never tackle this unless we all take personal

:15:34. > :15:38.responsible that he would changing culture.

:15:39. > :15:44.It is a cliche to say the Internet has changed the world we live in,

:15:45. > :15:48.but it is a cliche because it is true. It is not possible to list the

:15:49. > :15:54.changes the Internet has brought because over the last 25 years, it's

:15:55. > :15:59.been simply all pervasive and is now which a wet in the form of

:16:00. > :16:03.smartphones, we can now carry them around in our pockets. I know I am

:16:04. > :16:07.labouring a obvious truth but it is important in this debate we take a

:16:08. > :16:12.moment to reflect on just how central the Internet has become to

:16:13. > :16:17.our daily lives. From my generation, the Internet, when we stop and think

:16:18. > :16:22.about it, is a technical marvel, but young people, growing up the things

:16:23. > :16:27.that happen online are another normal everyday part of their world.

:16:28. > :16:30.That is why it is important we have this debate, because we simply

:16:31. > :16:35.cannot stand by and watch the sort of abuse and harassment that they

:16:36. > :16:39.small minority of Internet users inflict upon the rest of us to

:16:40. > :16:44.become normalised. I don't think it is too much of a well prediction to

:16:45. > :16:50.say the Internet, social media and smartphones are all here to stay, so

:16:51. > :16:56.it is vital we do all we can to combat and prevent the apparent

:16:57. > :17:05.misuse of powerful tools for communicating thoughts and ideas.

:17:06. > :17:11.I thank the honourable member for giving away. I wondered if she

:17:12. > :17:15.believed the government should think about the additional cost that are

:17:16. > :17:20.incurred as a result of the impact of some of the bullying, trolling

:17:21. > :17:27.and abuse people experience. In my area, there is a 25% increase in

:17:28. > :17:32.referrals to children, adolescent mental health services, so it has a

:17:33. > :17:37.big impact on the financial side. I agree with my right honourable

:17:38. > :17:42.friend. It is something that must be considered. I will carry on to say

:17:43. > :17:48.that the sheer scale of this issue is daunting, as public figures that

:17:49. > :17:57.many others have been on the receiving end. To give a key

:17:58. > :18:02.statistics, in Greater London, only 9% of online hate crimes were

:18:03. > :18:09.investigated nationwide. Back in 2014, the charity beat bullying,

:18:10. > :18:14.reported a third of young people experienced bullying online,

:18:15. > :18:18.including one in 58 to 11-year-olds, while one in 30 subjected to

:18:19. > :18:26.relentless abuse over a period of weeks or even years. And check, the

:18:27. > :18:32.revenge helpline received thousands of calls. The nature of the problem

:18:33. > :18:37.means there is no quick fixes. The anonymity the Internet allows Jesus

:18:38. > :18:45.can ignore social conventions around what it is -- allows users. It is

:18:46. > :18:54.easy to say behind a mask. Facebook did not rate Mr Budgie -- misogyny.

:18:55. > :19:02.Those who hold these views hold them in the real world and are taking

:19:03. > :19:06.advantage of the anonymity. As much as he might like to, we cannot

:19:07. > :19:12.simply pass a law which would do away with intolerance. That is not

:19:13. > :19:18.to say that either as a Parliament or a society, we are helpless. We

:19:19. > :19:24.might not be able to flick a switch but we can take steps to tackle the

:19:25. > :19:29.problem. Take online platforms, for instance. Over the last three years,

:19:30. > :19:34.Facebook, Twitter and Google have began engaging with their users and

:19:35. > :19:39.made it easier to report on line abuse. They ought to be commended.

:19:40. > :19:42.However, there are concerns that none of these companies are fully

:19:43. > :19:47.transparent about the measures they are taken internally to get to grips

:19:48. > :19:54.Republicans people using their sites have. Twitter claims it employs more

:19:55. > :20:00.than 100 staff to deal with reported at the youth, who presumably cover

:20:01. > :20:05.the entire network of 320 million users. Likewise, Facebook says it

:20:06. > :20:11.has several hundred people monitoring abuse, which sounds

:20:12. > :20:15.impressive, though this is a website Web 1.6 billion users. Too often

:20:16. > :20:23.users are unclear on how to report abuse and how it will be dealt with

:20:24. > :20:27.that when they do. We need greater transparency from platforms and how

:20:28. > :20:30.they enforce their terms of use, and I would urge the government to work

:20:31. > :20:35.constructively with them to encourage them to be more open about

:20:36. > :20:40.the scale of the problems and their responses. In terms of what we can

:20:41. > :20:46.do as lawmakers, there are practical responses that ministers should be

:20:47. > :20:51.considering. First and foremost, we need legislation which clearly

:20:52. > :20:56.defines online abuse and consolidates our existing laws.

:20:57. > :21:00.According to Digital trust, there are more than 30 pieces of

:21:01. > :21:05.legislation being used to tackle online crimes, including of all

:21:06. > :21:14.things the offences against the Person act of 1861. As much as we

:21:15. > :21:18.find them, it is time we ended our piecemeal approach and provided the

:21:19. > :21:23.public with confidence and the police with clarity they need to

:21:24. > :21:27.bring those offences online to book. The fragmented nature of the law

:21:28. > :21:31.means the criminal justice system is often unsure as to whether an

:21:32. > :21:35.offence has been committed, and is just not able to revive victims with

:21:36. > :21:40.the service and protection they expect and deserve. They considered

:21:41. > :21:47.Asian of the legislation can only be of value if it includes a clear

:21:48. > :21:53.definition -- the consolidation. Our current mismatch approach means

:21:54. > :21:58.adhesive Communications, which any reasonable person would judge to be

:21:59. > :22:03.acceptable, often do not reach the legal threshold and so complaints

:22:04. > :22:07.against them cannot be progressed. A clearer definition would go a long

:22:08. > :22:10.way to limit in this problem and build public trust that those in

:22:11. > :22:14.breach of the law can be held accountable. Looking at the police,

:22:15. > :22:18.it is obvious they are under incredible pressure in trying to

:22:19. > :22:23.deal with even that small proportion of online abuse, which is reported

:22:24. > :22:27.to them. It is estimated that half of all crimes reported to the police

:22:28. > :22:34.have some digital element, and they expect this to rise to 70% in the

:22:35. > :22:37.next five years. However, just 7.5% of officers in England and Wales are

:22:38. > :22:41.trained to investigate digital crime. The scale of this problem is

:22:42. > :22:46.such that all police officers need to be in a position to tackle online

:22:47. > :22:52.abuse. Knowing how to investigate and secure evidence. A consolidation

:22:53. > :22:57.of legislation must be backed up by a corresponding overall of

:22:58. > :23:01.enforcement, if we are to make any headway. That means not only a

:23:02. > :23:04.review of the training given to officers, but also a serious rethink

:23:05. > :23:13.about approaches to police recruitment. I appreciate the

:23:14. > :23:17.strains police are under, but if we did not expand the ability to clamp

:23:18. > :23:22.down, we will be stuck trying to apply 20 century methods to

:23:23. > :23:26.21st-century problems. It is encouraging that online safety is

:23:27. > :23:29.now part of the National Curriculum. We cannot underestimate the

:23:30. > :23:33.importance of education for dealing with online abuse. As much as we

:23:34. > :23:36.expect our children to learn the difference between right and wrong

:23:37. > :23:42.in the wheel world and expect them to get along with one another, so we

:23:43. > :23:46.must press home and press home early the same standards should apply

:23:47. > :23:50.online. Clearly there is no magic bullet for dealing with online

:23:51. > :23:55.abuse, but this does not mean the government should shy away from

:23:56. > :23:58.confronting it. It will take a broad strategy, worked out across

:23:59. > :24:02.departments and in fermented with service providers, charities and

:24:03. > :24:06.many others. Such plans are not cobbled together overnight but I

:24:07. > :24:11.would press the Minister to take today's debate as a starting point.

:24:12. > :24:15.If we have shown anything, it is there's a strong desire to action

:24:16. > :24:19.across the House and beyond, and I hope the government will be bold in

:24:20. > :24:25.its response to a problem that we simply cannot to fester.

:24:26. > :24:33.I would like to thank my right noble friend, but based on Stoke and Sal

:24:34. > :24:43.Pembrokeshire, for securing in this debate, an issue of utmost response.

:24:44. > :24:49.-- South Pembrokeshire. Revenge pawn was in the news recently for my own

:24:50. > :24:54.home town, just back in April was up in the wake of this case, lessons

:24:55. > :24:59.have been learned and the PCC and Chief Constable, I'm pleased to see,

:25:00. > :25:03.are redoing training on those on the front line, to improve victims's

:25:04. > :25:08.experience and claimed justice for them and better reflect how serious

:25:09. > :25:14.and damaging online produces. We need that change in culture, where

:25:15. > :25:22.online abuse is recognised as real worlds, causing as does emotional,

:25:23. > :25:28.psychological and physical damage. Over 1000 cases, the BBC Freedom

:25:29. > :25:34.education act, found only 7% receive a caution. I would like to share a

:25:35. > :25:43.victim's plea to us. Her perpetrator was one of the 7%. This is an open

:25:44. > :25:50.letter to those who have the power to lobby for change and this is my

:25:51. > :25:55.story. The perpetrator was my manager. We stayed in contact long

:25:56. > :26:01.after I laughed, left my job, remaining acquaintances via social

:26:02. > :26:06.media -- I left. I discovered a message alerting me to a website

:26:07. > :26:10.that contained my images. This website allowed individuals from all

:26:11. > :26:14.over the world to upload the pictures of unsuspecting victims,

:26:15. > :26:21.many of them children, and using those images as fodder for torture

:26:22. > :26:25.fantasies. My page, which have been crated in October 2015, revealed my

:26:26. > :26:29.full name, my personal Facebook account, a picture my toddler

:26:30. > :26:37.daughter, and alongside these images, captions such as, would love

:26:38. > :26:43.to beat her, she deserves to be gang raped. And urging people to find me,

:26:44. > :26:51.to make contact and to show me what I deserved. I felt demeaned, exposed

:26:52. > :26:56.to humiliated and embarrassed. Someone out there held all the

:26:57. > :27:01.power, I wasn't even in control of my own image anymore. I needed to

:27:02. > :27:07.take back control, so I put on my investigate a hat and after many

:27:08. > :27:13.hours of trawling, thought I had found that perpetrator. I felt

:27:14. > :27:15.initial relief and contacted the police next morning, believing I had

:27:16. > :27:24.caught a criminal but handed. In an the police operator told me

:27:25. > :27:28.there was nothing they could do because it was they police matter,

:27:29. > :27:34.but a Facebook issue. I was advised to block him, as he obviously was

:27:35. > :27:39.not my friend. I hung up the phone of feeling bitterly let down and

:27:40. > :27:44.confused. I was told I would not be getting a crime number as my case

:27:45. > :27:50.was not a real crime. It was more of a civil matter and perhaps I should

:27:51. > :27:54.seek legal advice. That legal advice told me that the definitions of the

:27:55. > :28:03.new law regarding revenge pawn and its phrasing meant that my case

:28:04. > :28:08.would not be suitable. Since I have chosen to bring this subject to the

:28:09. > :28:11.attention of the public, I have a mixed reactions. I have a strangers

:28:12. > :28:16.come up to me in the street and talk to me about it which I still find

:28:17. > :28:19.embarrassing. I have had people talk to me about it that parties where I

:28:20. > :28:24.should be enjoying myself. I have had customers asked me where they

:28:25. > :28:30.recognise me from and then give me a sympathetic and pitying look when I

:28:31. > :28:37.confirm from where. Overall, I've been cheated like a victim by

:28:38. > :28:41.everyone apart from the law. Perpetrators surely need to fear

:28:42. > :28:49.that their online actions will have real consequences. My photos are

:28:50. > :28:56.still online. I am sick of being a victim. What I ask is that with your

:28:57. > :29:08.help, never again will I and others be made to feel insignificant when

:29:09. > :29:14.reporting an online abuse crime. Of course, we've already heard today

:29:15. > :29:26.and we've heard many striking, distressing personal accounts, I

:29:27. > :29:28.thank the right honourable lady and the honourable member for South

:29:29. > :29:32.Pembrokeshire. We've had other accounts and I'm honoured to follow

:29:33. > :29:37.the member for Eastbourne and her accounts. We've heard of the

:29:38. > :29:43.frightening increase in online abuse, digital crime and hate crime.

:29:44. > :29:47.Many members of this House had been affected and literally countless

:29:48. > :29:52.people outside here have been affected by this. The National

:29:53. > :29:56.police league said last November that 50% of all reported crime and

:29:57. > :30:00.now has an online compote and and is evident that the law has not kept up

:30:01. > :30:04.with criminal activity. Online platform providers are rats best

:30:05. > :30:08.slow to address abuse and should hold both abusers and themselves to

:30:09. > :30:14.account for more effectively and rigorously. For all these reasons I

:30:15. > :30:17.introduced the ten minute rule Bill drafted by Harry Fletcher of the

:30:18. > :30:22.digital trust on this issue earlier this year in March. There are over

:30:23. > :30:26.30 statutes passed over many decades which cover online abuse crime and

:30:27. > :30:29.my bill that would place the responsibility on Government to

:30:30. > :30:32.consolidate them all. Many online activities may or may not be against

:30:33. > :30:37.the law, this but would clarify that. It will be an offence to

:30:38. > :30:40.install a webcam on a person without their permission or without

:30:41. > :30:46.legitimate reason. In addition, it would be illegal to repeatedly

:30:47. > :30:50.locate, listen to or watch a person without legitimate purpose and this

:30:51. > :30:53.bill would restrict the sale of spyware to those of 16. It would

:30:54. > :30:56.also be wrong for a person today multiple images of another person

:30:57. > :31:00.unless it was in the public interest to do so without that person's

:31:01. > :31:03.permission and where the intent was not legitimate. We've had a number

:31:04. > :31:07.of of this already. The bill would also make the law stronger on

:31:08. > :31:10.abusive content, again, police officers are uncertain about what is

:31:11. > :31:14.and what is not a crime and they are also overwhelmed by the sheer volume

:31:15. > :31:18.of abuse they see and we've heard about inconsistencies of approach by

:31:19. > :31:22.the police as well. This bill would make it clear that it is an offence

:31:23. > :31:27.to put images online with the intention is to humour late or abuse

:31:28. > :31:30.of the vixen and it also create an offence to create a message that is

:31:31. > :31:34.to scrum and eight array and would incite abusive activity. All these

:31:35. > :31:41.new offences would if put into action carry conviction is of up to

:31:42. > :31:45.a year in custody. Any new powers for the police and CPS would have

:31:46. > :31:49.limited impacts without changes to culture and training. The police

:31:50. > :31:52.mistake online abuse and hate crime seriously and the bill would place

:31:53. > :31:54.the responsibility on the Minister for education to ensure that all

:31:55. > :31:58.establishments include sessions which warn children and students of

:31:59. > :32:02.the risks of online services. We know this is happening in our

:32:03. > :32:05.schools, this is an ongoing issue and tokenistic approaches to the

:32:06. > :32:11.curriculum will not be sufficient. The Home Office will be tasked with

:32:12. > :32:14.ensuring police are trained and also record complaints of digital hate

:32:15. > :32:18.crime and abuse and finally, the bill would place duties on providers

:32:19. > :32:23.of online services to adhere to codes of professional standards,

:32:24. > :32:27.publish safety impact assessments and fully cooperate with the police

:32:28. > :32:29.an ongoing investigations. The relevant ministers should also

:32:30. > :32:33.ensure the best quality standards are followed across the industry.

:32:34. > :32:38.I'm sure we all have a number of case studies we could talk about

:32:39. > :32:42.here, but there was one from someone who wishes to remain anonymous, so I

:32:43. > :32:45.will respect that, but I very much wanted to raise this case, because

:32:46. > :32:50.it involved Facebook. It was a gentleman who is a teacher and

:32:51. > :32:56.because I have my background prior to being fortunate to arrive in this

:32:57. > :33:00.House a year ago, I was also a teacher and I was very much aware of

:33:01. > :33:07.the impact that teachers... How vulnerable they are so, some pupils

:33:08. > :33:11.and others. Obviously, the importance of child protection and

:33:12. > :33:15.how they can be used against teachers at how little protection

:33:16. > :33:20.they have. This gentleman contact me earlier this week to express his

:33:21. > :33:24.frustration at Facebook and despite having no Facebook account itself,

:33:25. > :33:29.pupils have stolen images from his website and used them to create a

:33:30. > :33:34.false Facebook page in his name. This page then attracted other

:33:35. > :33:38.pupils at his school. The head teacher, who not unusually, had

:33:39. > :33:42.little understanding or experience of Facebook at one stage suspected

:33:43. > :33:48.that each of the liberally attracting pupils. If the pupils had

:33:49. > :33:51.not finally admitted to creating the page, the teacher could easily have

:33:52. > :33:56.lost his job, as he was effectively unable to approve it was not

:33:57. > :33:58.responsible for the page. The vixen in this instance state of the police

:33:59. > :34:07.could only advise him to contact Facebook. -- victim. Facebook were

:34:08. > :34:11.unhelpful and I am summarising the magnitude of the problems he had

:34:12. > :34:15.with Facebook. Firstly, the teacher to get the password details from the

:34:16. > :34:19.pupils are the page taken down. Secondly, and I feel it is

:34:20. > :34:23.important, when raising questions about data protection, it became

:34:24. > :34:27.apparent that he had to apply to the data protection Commissioner of

:34:28. > :34:30.Ireland, as that is where Facebook's International office is based, and

:34:31. > :34:36.all law except that of the United States and Canada in that case, has

:34:37. > :34:39.to be cheated -- handed -- handled through that commission. It seems

:34:40. > :34:46.Facebook has broad expectations of the users behaviour but are willing

:34:47. > :34:50.to take little responsibility as a platform themselves for that

:34:51. > :34:55.behaviour. There is a worrying lack of procedures to take down sites

:34:56. > :34:58.with the onus on the victims to prove their identity. Facebook and

:34:59. > :35:00.other sites need to be held to account for the nature of the

:35:01. > :35:04.services they provide to users and whether those services in corporate

:35:05. > :35:09.propaganda for customers and the public at large. It is not good

:35:10. > :35:12.enough, and I had one of these messages on Twitter about 20 minutes

:35:13. > :35:15.ago, it is not good enough Twitter to tell me to hide myself away and

:35:16. > :35:20.to block messages from certain people. I want those people and

:35:21. > :35:26.Twitter held to account if there are unacceptable messages on my account.

:35:27. > :35:29.Finally, I believe the nature of how social media providers fulfil their

:35:30. > :35:32.duty of care to private individuals and requires Fat follow

:35:33. > :35:39.Parliamentary scrutiny and I await the minister's response. Thank you,

:35:40. > :35:41.Madam Deputy Speaker. I would like to find the Backbench Business

:35:42. > :35:51.Committee for having granted this debate and also my friend the

:35:52. > :35:54.honourable than before Basingstoke. -- for Basingstoke. I'm sure many

:35:55. > :36:00.members will have met in their surgeries the victims of online

:36:01. > :36:04.abuse or their parents who come to those seeking either some sort of

:36:05. > :36:08.redress or more often than not, some ongoing safety for their children.

:36:09. > :36:13.It is interesting to know that organisations like the girl guides

:36:14. > :36:16.with their attitude survey annually ascertain that cyber bullying is in

:36:17. > :36:22.the top three concerns of girls between the ages of 15 and 20. It is

:36:23. > :36:28.growing in its significance and indeed the impact it has on its

:36:29. > :36:32.victims. Abuse is abuse. Wherever and however it happens. Just because

:36:33. > :36:36.it is online, does not make it any less awful, but it does make it

:36:37. > :36:39.significantly harder to identify perpetrators and bring them to

:36:40. > :36:44.justice. It is not good enough to shrug one's shoulders and dismiss

:36:45. > :36:47.the Internet as some sort of wild West ungovernable and devoid of

:36:48. > :36:55.social norms and laws of the physical world. We have two, bring

:36:56. > :36:59.an end to anonymity. -- we have to bring an end to anonymity. But we

:37:00. > :37:03.must remember the victims are mostly children. I vividly recall my

:37:04. > :37:06.daughter's going from primary to secondary school when her

:37:07. > :37:11.headteacher got parents together to talk about the perils of Facebook.

:37:12. > :37:14.At that time, social media was growing in popularity but was still

:37:15. > :37:18.relatively small and there was not the multitude of platforms that

:37:19. > :37:24.there are now. The phrase she used which will always stick with me is

:37:25. > :37:28.that to be quite frank, children are losing the ability to empathise,

:37:29. > :37:30.because in her view, there were making unpleasant comments online,

:37:31. > :37:35.and unlike in the playground, when you do it on your smartphone, you do

:37:36. > :37:39.not see the reaction in some's eyes. He not learning about the hurts, but

:37:40. > :37:44.banking out a message which can have a terrible impact. The ability to

:37:45. > :37:49.understand and comprehend the hurts you have caused is disappearing. It

:37:50. > :37:54.is not just children losing that ability. People often say the most

:37:55. > :37:58.dreadful things online they would never repeat in person or even on

:37:59. > :38:03.the telephone. I sometimes find the best tactic if I receive an abusive

:38:04. > :38:07.e-mail is to phone up the person and suddenly they turn into the most

:38:08. > :38:18.polite and delightful constituent I could ever encounter. Just to say

:38:19. > :38:21.that sometimes taking that even further, I have personally knocked

:38:22. > :38:29.on doors of people who been particularly abusive and they

:38:30. > :38:33.crumble. By honourable friend is slightly braver than me. But she

:38:34. > :38:37.used the phrase keyboard warriors, who we find are incredibly brave in

:38:38. > :38:41.the sanctuary of their own homes but timid in the real world. I always

:38:42. > :38:44.think when you see online trolls who have been arrested and pictures

:38:45. > :38:47.appear in the paper, they always look terribly inadequate and the

:38:48. > :38:52.monsters they have made themselves in people's minds are not borne out

:38:53. > :38:57.in reality. This info don't understand the terror that they can

:38:58. > :39:01.cause. I've had my own experience of this and I remember vividly a

:39:02. > :39:07.Facebook message I received from the of the purporting to be a woman

:39:08. > :39:12.hiding behind a photograph of a dead lady, whose death had been covered

:39:13. > :39:14.in the newspaper. They sent the most terrible message to me,

:39:15. > :39:20.threateningly with rape, torture and ultimately death. And the greatest

:39:21. > :39:23.experience I learned from that was it will take many months to read all

:39:24. > :39:26.identities out of Facebook and they do appear to have become the

:39:27. > :39:31.bogeyman of this debate and I think deservedly so. The actual

:39:32. > :39:35.identities, when you find them, there is a sense of relief, because

:39:36. > :39:39.it's an identifiable person and not necessarily somebody who lives

:39:40. > :39:47.anywhere near you in the country, but it can be absolutely terrifying.

:39:48. > :39:51.In this place... Question. Newspapers are not allowed to print

:39:52. > :39:58.libels or defamatory comments or slanderous comments. Why cannot not

:39:59. > :40:03.apply to social media platforms as well? He is absolutely correct, it

:40:04. > :40:05.should apply to social media platforms and we as individuals

:40:06. > :40:11.should be able to take action much more quickly and effectively against

:40:12. > :40:14.them. It is as I said as if the Internet has become the wild West

:40:15. > :40:17.where companies are often registered in the Republic of Ireland and it is

:40:18. > :40:23.difficult from here to get the redress that we want. Sadly, in this

:40:24. > :40:27.place, we've come to expect it, the trolling, the bile spat in the dead

:40:28. > :40:29.of night and sometimes even from professional people who we might

:40:30. > :40:34.hope would value their reputation and know better. We know the bar is

:40:35. > :40:39.set high for members of Parliament, we are in the public eye and have

:40:40. > :40:43.come to expect a bit of knock-about as it were. But it has actually gone

:40:44. > :40:47.a great deal further than that. I would like to be a tribute to the

:40:48. > :40:50.work the Right Honourable member for Norman to come upon to act in

:40:51. > :40:53.Castleford has done to reclaim the Internet. One of my favourite

:40:54. > :40:58.tactics and I may now get trolled for this, is it that someone sent me

:40:59. > :41:06.something pernicious, I reply with a picture of a kitten. We have to

:41:07. > :41:09.reclaim the Internet. We must be bold enough to stand up for

:41:10. > :41:15.ourselves and try and engender a bit of humour, kindness and I think that

:41:16. > :41:19.is the missing point, that there is no kindness on the Internet. Quite

:41:20. > :41:30.frankly, when did it become OK to play the man and not the ball? Might

:41:31. > :41:34.honourable friend made some cogent arguments and ministers have worked

:41:35. > :41:38.hard on this with leading companies to find practical solutions about

:41:39. > :41:41.identifying perpetrators. The laws of harassment and grooming all exist

:41:42. > :41:44.as we have heard, but the very real anxieties about our victims can

:41:45. > :41:53.report crimes easily and have their voices heard... Does my honourable

:41:54. > :41:55.friend thing we should be looking at Australia and New Zealand who have

:41:56. > :42:00.established websites to facilitate reporting and in fact may be at risk

:42:01. > :42:06.of leaving the UK behind in the way they are trying to tackle this?

:42:07. > :42:12.We have to find better method of reporting and took leave the

:42:13. > :42:15.children. I will reinforce the plea my right honourable friend made

:42:16. > :42:19.earlier, there need to be safe spaces were children and mechanisms

:42:20. > :42:26.by which young people know who they can turn to. A critical part of that

:42:27. > :42:30.is within schools,, particularly young people, they need to learn

:42:31. > :42:36.about consent. They need to know what is OK in a relation ship. They

:42:37. > :42:40.need to have people who they can turn to, to make sure they are

:42:41. > :42:45.safeguarded and protected. We want them to be confident in themselves

:42:46. > :42:52.and to know who they can turn to in a crisis, not one of the reasons why

:42:53. > :42:55.I am so keen on compulsory SRE, because we need our young people to

:42:56. > :43:00.recognise what is an abusive relationship. We need them to have

:43:01. > :43:04.people who they can tell, to have teachers who are well-equipped to

:43:05. > :43:08.deal with it. These are not easy subjects, therefore make them

:43:09. > :43:13.statuary and make sure the training is put in to make it as competent in

:43:14. > :43:18.their ability to deliver excellent quality in this respect. My right

:43:19. > :43:23.honourable friend has described the blurring of offline and online

:43:24. > :43:25.worlds, and we need to plot a path to make sure our children are much

:43:26. > :43:36.more secure and protected. Like everybody, I would like to

:43:37. > :43:41.thank the right honourable member for Basingstoke to bring in this

:43:42. > :43:47.debate, it is important we should raise these issues. I'm shocked to

:43:48. > :43:54.hear some of the examples given today. I am going to add to them,

:43:55. > :43:57.I'm afraid. Online abuse isn't a technological problem, it is a

:43:58. > :44:04.social problem that just happens to be powered by technology. I won't

:44:05. > :44:08.deny that social media can be a force for good. For disseminating

:44:09. > :44:13.information, the sharing jokes or for simply keeping in contact with

:44:14. > :44:16.friends and relatives. And as MPs, as many honourable friends and

:44:17. > :44:23.members have referred to, we own courage to be as accessible as

:44:24. > :44:30.possible, to be out there with our websites -- we are in courage.

:44:31. > :44:43.More and more, and as the mill MPs, our out there, makes as targets for

:44:44. > :44:49.abuse, and we will have a story of vile comments posted to or about

:44:50. > :44:54.them, and choose you from anonymous sources -- as a female MPs. By

:44:55. > :45:01.allowing to rampage unchecked, social media becomes more aptly

:45:02. > :45:07.titled and social media. We have the free argument, which too many

:45:08. > :45:12.people, appears to be the divine right to say what ever is on your

:45:13. > :45:17.mind without any regard to the consequences. With free-speech comes

:45:18. > :45:23.the responsibility to deal with the consequences of one's words. My

:45:24. > :45:27.issues with particular reference to Twitter and Facebook are the

:45:28. > :45:31.apparent lack of a coherent policy on what action it constitutes online

:45:32. > :45:39.abuse. I would like to give a few examples. Twitter policy states, and

:45:40. > :45:44.I quote, we do not tolerate behaviour that crosses the line into

:45:45. > :45:50.abuse, including behaviour that harasses, intimidates or users via

:45:51. > :45:57.to silence another user's boys. So, with this in mind, when I received a

:45:58. > :46:01.threat on Twitter in the referendum debate, saying, and I quote, we will

:46:02. > :46:07.see what you say when an immigrant rapes you or one of your kids, I

:46:08. > :46:13.reported it to Twitter, using their online pro forma. Surely this

:46:14. > :46:19.racist, violent and targeted abuse crossed that line into behaviour

:46:20. > :46:24.that harasses and intimidates, which twitter policy claims to be against.

:46:25. > :46:30.But no, the response I received from Twitter was, it is not currently

:46:31. > :46:38.violating the twitter rules. And with regard to Facebook, the killers

:46:39. > :46:43.of Lee Rigby, Lee from Middleton, his killers posted explicitly on

:46:44. > :46:49.Facebook what they were planning, get this was never picked up and

:46:50. > :46:52.investigated. I reason you reported a vile and misogynistic comments

:46:53. > :46:58.made about another female MP on Facebook saying, and they

:46:59. > :47:04.selectively quote, she looks like a mutant and should be burnt at the

:47:05. > :47:10.stake. And this comment with that foul language and provided

:47:11. > :47:17.Cartwright nation of women as witches -- categorisation. We have

:47:18. > :47:22.reviewed the comments and found it doesn't violate our keening 80

:47:23. > :47:26.standards. The reply went on to say, please let us know if you see

:47:27. > :47:31.anything else that concerns you, we want to keep Facebook safe and

:47:32. > :47:36.welcoming. If that is a Facebook's idea of a say safe and welcoming and

:47:37. > :47:41.vibrant, I would like to see what they think is a no go area. Being

:47:42. > :47:46.serious, and I am being totally serious, it will be the responsible

:47:47. > :47:53.thing for Twitter and Facebook to use algorithms to pick out hate

:47:54. > :47:56.speech, words such as Islamophobic, murder, rove, they could be picked

:47:57. > :48:01.up and those accounts could be investigated. It is irresponsible of

:48:02. > :48:07.social media platforms to allow company fleet unchecked and

:48:08. > :48:13.unregulated discourse, and it would not happen in any walk of life.

:48:14. > :48:18.Twitter and Facebook appear to reply solely upon users reporting abuse

:48:19. > :48:24.and hate speech to them. Placing responsibility solely upon the user,

:48:25. > :48:28.and even then, the pro forma reporting procedure is often too

:48:29. > :48:34.simplistic to allow for the actual problem and concerned to be

:48:35. > :48:41.accurately conveyed. And yes, the police can be notified, but we have

:48:42. > :48:45.all seen the diminishment of police numbers, and I call upon the

:48:46. > :48:52.government to make funding available for training and increasing police

:48:53. > :48:59.numbers to deal with online abuse. And I'm interested in the suggestion

:49:00. > :49:05.regarding asking social media platforms to actually provide a levy

:49:06. > :49:11.to pay for increasing training and numbers to deal with this issue. And

:49:12. > :49:15.I'd would just like to talk about the gender issue, I have

:49:16. > :49:18.concentrated on abuse towards female politicians and I accept online

:49:19. > :49:24.abuse takes many other forms and many other groups are targeted. But

:49:25. > :49:28.online abuse does seem to be a gender issue, and abuse is directed

:49:29. > :49:35.more towards female politicians than to our male counterparts. In the UK,

:49:36. > :49:41.studies have shown 82% of this abuse recorded comes from male sources.

:49:42. > :49:44.Social networks could take a strong and meaningful stance against

:49:45. > :49:49.harassment is, simply by applying the same sort of standard that we

:49:50. > :49:55.already apply in our public and professional lives. Wishing rape or

:49:56. > :50:01.other violence upon women, or using to rocketry slurs, would be

:50:02. > :50:05.unacceptable in most workplaces or communities. Those who engage in

:50:06. > :50:10.such a patrol would be reprimanded or asked to leave, so why shouldn't

:50:11. > :50:16.that be the response in our online lives? Letters never forget that

:50:17. > :50:20.words carry weight and language has a consequence. Once it has been

:50:21. > :50:25.said, it cannot be unsaid. Whether that be at face-to-face or typed

:50:26. > :50:31.from behind a social media avatar, there is no hiding from meaning, and

:50:32. > :50:39.we should confront now this ever spreading plague of misogyny, abuse

:50:40. > :50:45.and threats online. I would like to begin to page should be to my right

:50:46. > :50:49.honourable friend and the backbench business committee. She is a great

:50:50. > :50:54.champion of causes like these, and the passion in all our speeches

:50:55. > :50:59.shows how important it is. 21 years ago I sat with a wise and

:51:00. > :51:04.far-sighted friends of mine, and we talk about a new phenomenon called

:51:05. > :51:10.the Internet. At the time all I knew was what the scientists at

:51:11. > :51:15.University talks about. He said we would live through a revolution as

:51:16. > :51:20.great and rolling as that brought by the proliferation of newsprint in

:51:21. > :51:25.the 17th century, and it would lead to a new way of communicating,

:51:26. > :51:30.indeed a complete shift in social discourse. So, it has proven. I've

:51:31. > :51:35.returned that conversation many times over the last two decades and

:51:36. > :51:41.never more so than in preparing for this debate today. We as legislators

:51:42. > :51:49.are on the whole print children, but we need to draft laws for our own

:51:50. > :51:53.digital children. I would to quote from the recent dissenting judgment

:51:54. > :51:59.in the case of PJS against News group newspapers, which, and I'm

:52:00. > :52:02.sure people know, involved a celebrity couple trying to stop

:52:03. > :52:07.publication of their identities in print form, even know their names

:52:08. > :52:11.were quoted on the Internet. They said the court must live in the

:52:12. > :52:16.world as it is, and not as it was likely to be. The court needs to be

:52:17. > :52:19.cautious about granting an injunction preventing publication of

:52:20. > :52:24.what is widely known. If it is not to lose public respect for the law

:52:25. > :52:29.by giving the appearance of being out of touch with reality. I'm not

:52:30. > :52:35.making comment on the right or wrong is of that particular case, but what

:52:36. > :52:43.I want to say is, we as legislators must adapt to the new lives and the

:52:44. > :52:48.threats which face all of us today. Online abuse is crime, it is not

:52:49. > :52:55.banter, it is not teasing, and it is not the exercise of free speech. The

:52:56. > :53:00.honourable lady spoke powerfully and indeed many honourable members,

:53:01. > :53:04.females, although I'm glad to see men in the chamber now, have talked

:53:05. > :53:12.about their own experiences and I pay tribute to them, as to the

:53:13. > :53:19.victim 's statement we heard from. Online abuse in and of itself as a

:53:20. > :53:23.crime, and the effect it has, anxiety, depression, changes in

:53:24. > :53:29.everyday behaviour, resulting in people staying at home, not being

:53:30. > :53:35.able to go to their jobs, sometimes linking to suicide. And crucially,

:53:36. > :53:39.online abuse is a gateway to real-world stalking, physical and

:53:40. > :53:48.sexual abuse and even murder. The digital trust has highlighted the

:53:49. > :53:52.murders of Angela Hoyte and Lorna Smith, all of which began in the

:53:53. > :53:56.virtual world. I'm sure like many members, every time we meet teachers

:53:57. > :54:05.they report online abuse as one of the factors in mental health

:54:06. > :54:11.problems in the young. In terms of crime prevention and reduction,

:54:12. > :54:15.there needs to be changes always in the environment, so society's

:54:16. > :54:20.attitudes, and these run in parallel or sometimes slightly behind changes

:54:21. > :54:23.in law. Many members today have talked about cultural changes and

:54:24. > :54:29.how there needs to be cultural changes. If we look back on social

:54:30. > :54:34.changes over the last half a century, often we are the leaders in

:54:35. > :54:43.this place and society follows us. I will happily give away. I want to

:54:44. > :54:47.draw her attention, I put down a member 's bill in March to address

:54:48. > :54:51.malicious Communications on social media and I wanted to say I would be

:54:52. > :54:55.delighted to work with colleagues across a table to see if we can use

:54:56. > :55:05.that as a vehicle for change in legislation. I applaud the

:55:06. > :55:13.honourable lady's Private members Bill and I'm sure there will be

:55:14. > :55:17.people supporting her. Talking about the way legislative changes go

:55:18. > :55:22.instead, think about the strides which have been taken over the last

:55:23. > :55:25.40 years, changing society's attitudes to sexual and physical

:55:26. > :55:31.violence against women and children. I remember at law school, rape in

:55:32. > :55:37.marriage was still allowed. Think about when we were at primary

:55:38. > :55:41.school, our teachers could smack us, we had to legislate before society

:55:42. > :55:51.could follow as for top it is incumbent on us to lead that charge.

:55:52. > :55:54.Children... Schools take Susie their duties to children on bullying and

:55:55. > :56:01.what happens in the playground, but the virtual playgrounds, our

:56:02. > :56:06.children spend a lot of time there, so we need to make sure that as a

:56:07. > :56:11.safe space as well. The Internet, as compared to the real world, is still

:56:12. > :56:19.largely governed and some people argue it is an ungovernable space

:56:20. > :56:22.where an online abuse's views go unchallenged, but they are

:56:23. > :56:29.reinforced, amplified and Richard. I know I spoken to my Chief Constable

:56:30. > :56:34.in Lincolnshire -- and unchallenged. I know the steps he takes, and yet

:56:35. > :56:44.try as they might, they need more support. Victim support have said

:56:45. > :56:48.only 7500 police officers have been specially trained to investigate

:56:49. > :56:53.digital crime. I would ask the Minister if he would make reticent

:56:54. > :57:04.Asians to Home Office ministers about plans to increase that. --

:57:05. > :57:10.discussions to Home Office. Perhaps we might call it a ragtag of laws

:57:11. > :57:14.which deals with online abuse. I would wish the government to do a

:57:15. > :57:19.review of the laws so we are not out of touch with reality and I would

:57:20. > :57:21.wholeheartedly echo and agree with the suggestions on changes to law

:57:22. > :57:32.this area. Our current law of libel had its

:57:33. > :57:36.origins in the 17th century proof oration of newsprint. We need to

:57:37. > :57:41.respond to the current revolution in communications and social discourse

:57:42. > :57:51.by legislating for the world as it is not as we would it to be. Thank

:57:52. > :58:03.you, and I'm grateful being escalated because this allows me

:58:04. > :58:13.to... I would like to extend my thanks to the member for Basingstoke

:58:14. > :58:16.for securing this debate. It strikes me that this chamber is dominated

:58:17. > :58:22.today by a female presence and I think that confirms what we may not

:58:23. > :58:26.be scientifically, but what we know instinctively is this issue is the

:58:27. > :58:32.bid to kill a live for female MPs that conference them are far more

:58:33. > :58:36.often than it should and much of it at heart is based on the sodden it.

:58:37. > :58:42.We've heard from a number of speakers today and all understand I

:58:43. > :58:44.think that online abuse is a serious and growing problem and

:58:45. > :58:48.unfortunately, we live in a world where it is deemed acceptable for

:58:49. > :58:51.some people, keyboard warriors that they will be called to hide behind

:58:52. > :58:56.their computer or tablet and target abuse and aggression towards people

:58:57. > :59:02.they simply do not like, simply because they can. The anonymity and

:59:03. > :59:06.distance from which the abuse is hurled it was the sender of such

:59:07. > :59:14.messages courage that they would not otherwise feel with the added bonus

:59:15. > :59:16.that whatever they wish to say, however hurtful, aggressive,

:59:17. > :59:25.threatening or nasty can be said with impunity. How cowardly. I fully

:59:26. > :59:29.applaud and support the work of the reclaim the Internet campaign which

:59:30. > :59:32.is a call for action to challenge abuse online, bringing together

:59:33. > :59:39.groups from across civic society to a signal that enough. Such online

:59:40. > :59:45.abuse is not acceptable and anyone responsible for it must be held

:59:46. > :59:49.accountable. One of the most pernicious aspects of online abuse

:59:50. > :59:53.is that it seeks to normalise bullying and intimidation of the

:59:54. > :59:58.people. We wouldn't tolerate such abuse off-line, so it must not be

:59:59. > :00:03.tolerated online. What kind of world are we building for our younger

:00:04. > :00:08.people when the UK safer Internet centre published a study which found

:00:09. > :00:12.that of those 13-18 -year-olds survey, 24% had been targeted

:00:13. > :00:16.because of their gender, sexual orientation, race, religion or

:00:17. > :00:20.disability and victim support has found that 41% of young people

:00:21. > :00:28.report a persistent and targeted and bullying online from their peers.

:00:29. > :00:33.Those who send such messages are in my view clearly intending to hurt or

:00:34. > :00:39.frighten or distress the recipients. Do they think of the consequences,

:00:40. > :00:43.the impact their views have on the recipient? Sadly, I believe they

:00:44. > :00:48.simply don't care. And in the political sphere, too, where people

:00:49. > :00:53.use the Internet threat of violence, though vile abuse or seek to silence

:00:54. > :00:56.the voice of others through intimidation, this is simply an

:00:57. > :01:01.acceptable and that is the message that must go out from this place.

:01:02. > :01:09.Robust political debate is part of our public life and we must foster

:01:10. > :01:13.and cherish it. But what we cannot tolerate is the lowering of

:01:14. > :01:17.political debate to threats of violence or to in the sauce based on

:01:18. > :01:25.the for Geneva, homophobia, sexism, race or disability. It was counter

:01:26. > :01:29.the idea that is legitimate to abuse someone online simply because they

:01:30. > :01:36.are in public life. That I believe in roads and cheapens democracy and

:01:37. > :01:40.ultimately, legitimises abuse and abusive behaviour in wider society.

:01:41. > :01:46.Regardless of political differences, debate must be conducted with the

:01:47. > :01:51.respect and I fear over the last couple of years, too many people

:01:52. > :01:54.seem to forget this. Abuse online can be just as destructive,

:01:55. > :01:59.distressing, upsetting and disempowering as a physical abuse.

:02:00. > :02:07.As far as I can see, the perpetrator of such abuse is seeking to shut up,

:02:08. > :02:14.close down or silence the voice of the person they choose to abuse. The

:02:15. > :02:18.are working hard to adapt practices to cope with the new world we live

:02:19. > :02:22.in where the Internet has added a new damage to criminal acts, and

:02:23. > :02:26.make no mistake, criminal acts are what we are talking about here and

:02:27. > :02:28.there are currently at least 30 different pieces of legislation

:02:29. > :02:34.covering online abuse in various ways. This legislation must be fully

:02:35. > :02:39.utilised and victim support is calling for a review to identify any

:02:40. > :02:42.possible gaps in existing legislation and that's a very

:02:43. > :02:48.important points, since it is estimated that within around five

:02:49. > :02:52.years, 70% of all crime will be cyber enabled and the Criminal

:02:53. > :02:56.Justice System must be in a position to flexibly and adequately respond

:02:57. > :03:01.to this and support to victims were required and I would like to hear

:03:02. > :03:05.the minister's thoughts on this. The everyday, casual online abuse to

:03:06. > :03:09.many people see must not be seen as harmless or something which should

:03:10. > :03:15.be dismissed and deleted. It must be sought out and challenged. And like

:03:16. > :03:18.so many of my colleagues in this place and like to many ordinary,

:03:19. > :03:22.hard-working people who we represent, we have to face this

:03:23. > :03:28.casual abuse and like so many others, I have until recently when

:03:29. > :03:31.this has occurred, simply press the delete or block whenever I have been

:03:32. > :03:38.in receipt of such nastiness and abuse. But now, I report it to the

:03:39. > :03:41.police and I have cause indeed to do so recently in the light of the

:03:42. > :03:48.appalling and dreadful murder of the late member for Batley and spend. No

:03:49. > :03:54.one should have to tolerate abuse, no matter what line of work they do,

:03:55. > :03:58.no matter what justification the centre of the abuse may feel that

:03:59. > :04:02.they have. It is not on. It seems the most common victim of such abuse

:04:03. > :04:07.are women and children, but we know the problem is widespread and affect

:04:08. > :04:10.others outside these groups. If we are to seek to have any credibility

:04:11. > :04:13.in this place, we all and affect others outside these groups. If we

:04:14. > :04:16.are to seek to have any credibility in this place, we all need to send a

:04:17. > :04:18.clear message and use our position as MPs and indeed as leaders of

:04:19. > :04:22.political parties to unequivocally condemn a this behaviour as the

:04:23. > :04:27.First Minister of Scotland has the from wherever it comes. And I used

:04:28. > :04:31.to think as I'm sure many people here used to think, that the

:04:32. > :04:36.deleting such messages was enough. I no longer think that. We as MPs have

:04:37. > :04:43.a duty to ensure it is challenged and by doing so, deterring those who

:04:44. > :04:46.would engage in such activity. And I sincerely hope that this debate will

:04:47. > :04:50.send a clear message to those who feel that they can abuse any person

:04:51. > :04:57.that they choose to typing nastier and abusive comments on their

:04:58. > :05:01.keyboard, that there is no hiding place. This behaviour is cowardly

:05:02. > :05:05.and reprehensible, and we must encourage and support all such

:05:06. > :05:12.victims of abuse report it to the police. We as MPs must ensure we do

:05:13. > :05:16.the same. It really is time to reclaim the social media from those

:05:17. > :05:20.who use it as a vehicle to work out their own personal frustrations and

:05:21. > :05:30.tendencies to bully as they would see fit with impunity. Enough is

:05:31. > :05:35.enough. . I made -- met a fair share of the bullies in my time, but as

:05:36. > :05:40.you may have noticed, as they used to say my home town of Liverpool, I

:05:41. > :05:44.am built like a chap who is built like a brick outhouse, which is the

:05:45. > :05:49.Parliamentary version, so they've not bothered me much over the years.

:05:50. > :05:53.I'm aware, not least as a father, that the Internet and social media

:05:54. > :05:57.has brought about to big changes that have meant I probably would

:05:58. > :06:02.have not avoided were I a teenager now. First of all, it is 24-7, it is

:06:03. > :06:06.inescapable, there is no refuge from a bullying these days, no chance to

:06:07. > :06:09.get up, shut the door, sit down to your fish fingers safe in the

:06:10. > :06:15.knowledge it won't occur again the lease for a few hours. But also

:06:16. > :06:18.because social media has unfortunately decreased the

:06:19. > :06:22.resilience of our children, creating a host of exploitable

:06:23. > :06:26.vulnerabilities from eating disorders to self harming and

:06:27. > :06:29.harmful sexual behaviour and depression and anxiety. For

:06:30. > :06:33.teenagers, many of who are hard-wired to take the judgments of

:06:34. > :06:36.others more too hot, the amplification of bullying that the

:06:37. > :06:41.online world allows is going to lead to more permanent damage. As many

:06:42. > :06:45.members have already said, it is pretty shocking that we have allowed

:06:46. > :06:49.it to get to this stage. We seem to have sleepwalked into an epidemic of

:06:50. > :06:52.terrible mental health among children in particular whose

:06:53. > :06:56.self-confidence has been wrecked by social media with its unrealistic

:06:57. > :07:00.expectations and the kind of digital solipsism that it seems to

:07:01. > :07:03.encourage. Perhaps it is because we have been too wrapped up in our own

:07:04. > :07:09.smartphones to notice their obsession. To wrapped up to remember

:07:10. > :07:14.that in society there are to distinct types of people. Adults and

:07:15. > :07:17.children. And it is the jobs of adults to make decisions about the

:07:18. > :07:23.jobs -- boundaries that protect children from harm even when they do

:07:24. > :07:28.not like it. Instead, I fear we have been carried away by technology

:07:29. > :07:31.which has led us to become too indulgent to be seen to be

:07:32. > :07:36.backtracking. The current generation of teenagers are glued, perhaps

:07:37. > :07:41.irreversibly, to a social media world for the image of the

:07:42. > :07:47.continuously perfect, happy people, who are so obviously fictional, but

:07:48. > :07:50.nevertheless paired with the same unavoidable realisation that

:07:51. > :07:54.teenagers can never attain the ideal. The result is both an

:07:55. > :07:57.insatiable sense of entitlement combine with a crushing hopelessness

:07:58. > :08:02.which can only lead to self loathing and anger. They are made to feel all

:08:03. > :08:07.too often like failures. Flow into this makes the pressure of exams and

:08:08. > :08:11.the signal sent to them that their entire future and value rests,

:08:12. > :08:14.academic performance or their social standing at school and there is no

:08:15. > :08:19.wonder that cyber bullying is the cheaper for a whole host of

:08:20. > :08:23.problems. These pressures contributed deep unhappiness and

:08:24. > :08:26.many feel the need to put on a brave face and not burden families which

:08:27. > :08:31.only further compounds the isolation. As the president of

:08:32. > :08:35.ChildLine wrote recently, unhappiness and low self-esteem are

:08:36. > :08:41.the main youth phenomena they are seeing. It only appeared in the top

:08:42. > :08:45.five of children and their worries a few years ago, but for last year

:08:46. > :08:49.alone accounted for 35,200 over counselling sessions. Make no

:08:50. > :08:54.mistake, so far, we have done little to halt this trend and it's only

:08:55. > :09:00.going to get worse. We must not consign the next generation of

:09:01. > :09:06.teenagers do the same fate. -- to the same fate. In regard to this

:09:07. > :09:10.debate, the resilience sapping of social media and addiction to

:09:11. > :09:13.smartphones is far more fundamental and intractable than the cyber

:09:14. > :09:19.bullying issue which is a product of it. There is of course much to be

:09:20. > :09:23.said about how we can tackle cyber bullying and many honourable members

:09:24. > :09:27.have mentioned that today. Many people need to be involved in that

:09:28. > :09:31.conversation and consultation will have to include megacorporations

:09:32. > :09:36.such as Facebook that the common platforms where this problem occurs.

:09:37. > :09:40.I do think the way in which we have led the resilience issue get out of

:09:41. > :09:43.control is the result of complacency in Parliament and inertia in the law

:09:44. > :09:47.that we need to address more urgently than the bullying issue.

:09:48. > :09:52.Like many members, the response to this bullying issue would, I hope,

:09:53. > :09:57.take the shape of a new online offences act which would replace the

:09:58. > :10:01.30 plus pieces of legislation covering online abuse at the moment.

:10:02. > :10:05.I would hope that amongst other things it would include the specific

:10:06. > :10:09.online abuse offenders, as well as an extensive definition of duties

:10:10. > :10:15.that Internet service providers have two our young people as well. But

:10:16. > :10:20.more on this resilience issue, we also need to get on with a children

:10:21. > :10:23.and Young Persons act fit for the age in which we can clearly define

:10:24. > :10:27.the duties of parents in law to help them cope with the impact of social

:10:28. > :10:32.media on their children. It is plainly not right that those under

:10:33. > :10:35.16 spend an average of the hours online a day making them, according

:10:36. > :10:41.to experts, much more likely to suffer mental health problems. --.

:10:42. > :10:46.All that was 12-15 -year-olds have their own smartphones and that

:10:47. > :10:49.there's done what they are doing on them. Spending too much time on

:10:50. > :10:54.social media has been shown to inhibit personal development

:10:55. > :10:58.according to research and we need to be less complacent about this. This

:10:59. > :11:04.has been allowed to happen partly due to parliament complacency, but

:11:05. > :11:08.also because of parental naivete and short-sightedness here. We need to

:11:09. > :11:12.put this right. No one is especially to blame, but this House has failed

:11:13. > :11:14.problems consider this issue and it is the same reason parents across

:11:15. > :11:29.the country and around the world get caught out so badly by change.

:11:30. > :11:37.The pace of change also explains how the main pieces of legislation on

:11:38. > :11:42.children so out of date. The 1933 children and Young Persons act and

:11:43. > :11:46.the 1989 children's act concept of the framework upon which we still

:11:47. > :11:50.operate today. They cannot have anything to say about parents duties

:11:51. > :11:56.to children in the social media age or about cyber bullying. Making it

:11:57. > :12:00.harder still, it appears getting the guidance and supervision right

:12:01. > :12:04.requires a level of intrusion that wasn't commonplace amongst parents

:12:05. > :12:08.of previous generations. Which children today will certainly resent

:12:09. > :12:12.and resist. Understandably given where we are now, any group of

:12:13. > :12:15.teenagers would react with horror to the idea of handing their

:12:16. > :12:20.smartphones in at the beginning of the school day and picking them up

:12:21. > :12:27.at home time. The idea... By all means. He said teenagers might

:12:28. > :12:32.resisted but he did begin by saying there are two people, two groups of

:12:33. > :12:41.people in this world, adults and children, surely it is incumbent on

:12:42. > :12:47.us to make them give them up. Exactly that, as I was about to say.

:12:48. > :12:51.But I will be firm here and say the reason we haven't done something in

:12:52. > :12:58.a systematic way, when children and to extras have been telling us for

:12:59. > :13:03.some time there was trouble brewing, down to weakness that teaches act

:13:04. > :13:08.that children should set the rules. Once again, adults are soon to be

:13:09. > :13:15.unwilling to act as adults, meaning action has been weak or tentative.

:13:16. > :13:21.However, given the gravity, we cannot afford for this to continue.

:13:22. > :13:24.We need a new direction for which to approach this important area, that

:13:25. > :13:28.is right to do with the causes as well as the fallout. I fear this is

:13:29. > :13:39.again down to an indulgence that leads people to the conclusion we

:13:40. > :13:44.can't declare what something is done is not good for them. Increased

:13:45. > :13:48.funding for talking therapies that everybody has been pushing for is

:13:49. > :13:54.right, but no amount of therapy will stand the child of children mental

:13:55. > :13:58.health crisis if the root cause of this resilience is not addressed. I

:13:59. > :14:05.agree with many honourable members about the need for legislation. To

:14:06. > :14:08.clarify and consolidate the law around what offences are committed

:14:09. > :14:13.online, but I think more fundamentally we need to look more

:14:14. > :14:17.seriously at the resilience of children, the availability and time

:14:18. > :14:22.they spend online and decide for ourselves as parents, as a country

:14:23. > :14:30.whether we should set them about these of what they can do. I find

:14:31. > :14:33.the right honourable member for Basingstoke for bringing forward

:14:34. > :14:38.this debate through the backbench business committee today. We've had

:14:39. > :14:41.some very powerful and personal accounts today across the chamber

:14:42. > :14:48.and it goes right saying that online abuse is a very severe and expanding

:14:49. > :14:54.issue. It is one the Scottish National Party at the condoms, and

:14:55. > :15:07.my party supports any measures that may ensure that to party condemns.

:15:08. > :15:12.The consensus is a port and to address and tackle it. The scale of

:15:13. > :15:18.online abuse is truly shocking. There is much evidence to suggest it

:15:19. > :15:21.has become incredibly widespread. The chief executive of the College

:15:22. > :15:26.policing, Alex Marshall, has stated there is anecdotal evidence to

:15:27. > :15:31.suggest complaints relating to social media now make at least half

:15:32. > :15:36.of all calls to police. There has been widespread coverage of online

:15:37. > :15:41.abuse, particulate in the tabloid press, although some may contend

:15:42. > :15:46.this is a potential to add to the problem than address it. Sometimes

:15:47. > :15:51.the headlines in tabloids can do track from the severity of the

:15:52. > :15:56.reality of online abuse. Think tank Demos have conducted research which

:15:57. > :16:02.suggests around 12,000 threatening tweets containing the word rape were

:16:03. > :16:07.sent from UK accounts in one year. This is just one example of the

:16:08. > :16:14.plethora of misogynistic and abusive tweets sent to women online. The

:16:15. > :16:19.recent controversy showed horrific abuse of women online in the video

:16:20. > :16:22.game industry. What was truly shocking was the mentality and

:16:23. > :16:30.coordinated campaigns of abuse targeting individuals. It garnered

:16:31. > :16:34.much media attention stateside and measures to tackle online harassment

:16:35. > :16:39.are being taken more seriously by Congress as a result. This abuse is

:16:40. > :16:43.often vicious and nasty. Whilst most of us will have the strength of

:16:44. > :16:48.character to deal with it, it doesn't make it any more acceptable.

:16:49. > :16:52.We also have a duty of care to our young people, many of whom will not

:16:53. > :16:58.be well placed to deal with this abuse and cyber bullying. I commend

:16:59. > :17:04.the Department education's efforts in this area, in particular the

:17:05. > :17:14.advice they issue did the macro to deal with cyber bullying. The lack

:17:15. > :17:23.of organisations have helped as a bindable resource, and the online

:17:24. > :17:29.advice. I would like to dig the opportunity to commenced the

:17:30. > :17:34.campaign in Scotland, which has garnered the support of all of the

:17:35. > :17:39.main political parties and high profile figures across Scotland.

:17:40. > :17:45.Equality training is an important measure in our schools. Teachers

:17:46. > :17:49.need to be trained on LGBT issues and that includes recognising the

:17:50. > :17:53.signs of bullying and cyber bullying so they may act to put a stop to

:17:54. > :18:01.individual cases. The repercussions of cyber bullying are serious. Young

:18:02. > :18:06.and impressionable people can suffer very serious losses in confidence.

:18:07. > :18:11.More seriously, it can lead to depression, self harm and

:18:12. > :18:17.tragically, as we said earlier, has led to young people taken their

:18:18. > :18:21.lives. I welcome any effort whatsoever that would strengthen

:18:22. > :18:25.legislation in this place, or in the devolved institutions to help tackle

:18:26. > :18:31.this abuse. I would also like to reiterate today to anyone listening

:18:32. > :18:35.into this debate who is a victim of online abuse or bullying, you are

:18:36. > :18:40.not alone, speak to someone you trust and do not hesitate to contact

:18:41. > :18:45.the police to report it. We have a duty here to work together, to

:18:46. > :18:51.tackle cyber abuse and bullying proactively, and is hyper for

:18:52. > :18:57.individuals, we have experienced some form ourselves and could no

:18:58. > :19:01.doubt empathise with all victims of this kind of abuse. We are their

:19:02. > :19:10.voices and we much use them to effect real change -- we must use

:19:11. > :19:19.them. Can I begin by thanking the honourable members for Basingstoke

:19:20. > :19:27.and South Pembrokeshire? Can I start by saying how much I value social

:19:28. > :19:31.media? It allows me to engage with constituents, promoting the work I

:19:32. > :19:35.do. Social media mix it easier for them to contact me and for me to

:19:36. > :19:40.hear from them about the issues important to them. The general

:19:41. > :19:45.public value their use of social media, it has become a staple part

:19:46. > :19:50.of their daily lives. My wife would say party stapled. Facebook and

:19:51. > :19:58.Twitter allow people to keep in touch with one another, regardless

:19:59. > :20:03.of where they are in the world. In the UK, Facebook has 32 million

:20:04. > :20:09.users and Twitter has 60 million. The vast majority of people who use

:20:10. > :20:15.it do it in a respectable and proper manner. They engage in a friendly

:20:16. > :20:21.manner, and the overwhelming majority who talk to me online, even

:20:22. > :20:25.those who disagree, do so with respect or serving close to it.

:20:26. > :20:32.However, like a lot of things, there are a few who is close to it. There

:20:33. > :20:37.is a small minority who engage in abusive behaviour.

:20:38. > :20:47.Mr Deputy Speaker, like every other party, we condemn abusive measures.

:20:48. > :20:53.The First Minister has addressed this issue and is one of the best

:20:54. > :20:57.users of Twitter to engage with people. She has said robust

:20:58. > :21:03.political debate forms an important part of democracy, but it must take

:21:04. > :21:07.place in a polite manner. This is a message we can all agree on. I don't

:21:08. > :21:11.accept that you public servants are fair game, and such abuse is part

:21:12. > :21:16.and parcel of being a politician. Any abuse, no matter who is on the

:21:17. > :21:24.receiving end, it should be condemned. Like many, I have had

:21:25. > :21:28.some abuse, but the cowards that go online are usually men and reserve

:21:29. > :21:34.some of the worst abuse for the nonmembers. These are not real men,

:21:35. > :21:38.they are small and pathetic, and their actions can have serious and

:21:39. > :21:44.tragic repercussions. Of course, politicians are not the only target,

:21:45. > :21:52.it appears no one can escape from the poison. I spoke and mentioned a

:21:53. > :21:58.lot of carers were tweeting about it. This online campaign was

:21:59. > :22:02.informative and provided an insight into the issues carers face.

:22:03. > :22:06.However, it is shameful carers could not escape the abuse from the

:22:07. > :22:10.trolls. We need to get to the bottom of why so many people think it is OK

:22:11. > :22:19.to send abusive members cut messages. In 2014, 1002 people were

:22:20. > :22:25.convicted for online trolling. Of those convicted, only 155 were

:22:26. > :22:30.jailed for sending messages which was grossly offensive or was

:22:31. > :22:35.indecent. The truth of the matter is, there are four more people

:22:36. > :22:43.engaging in abusive activity than those convicted. It is unclear what

:22:44. > :22:51.the scale our problem is. 10,000 tweets were sent from UK accounts

:22:52. > :22:56.which attacked the ball. As a father of two young children, I'm concerned

:22:57. > :23:03.about the incident of children being bullied online. Cyber bullying has

:23:04. > :23:09.extended vicious behaviour beyond the classroom. There are no official

:23:10. > :23:12.statistics one children bullied, but from research, we know bullying is

:23:13. > :23:19.an issue which affects all children in some way. One of the loggers

:23:20. > :23:23.organisations for young people suggests 33% of children have been

:23:24. > :23:28.bullied on line. This abusive behaviour occurs on more than one

:23:29. > :23:36.occasion. Equal worrying is 90% of teenagers who witnessed it, say they

:23:37. > :23:42.have ignored it. People of different minority groups are far more likely

:23:43. > :23:48.to get cyber bullying. We had to consider why people are on the

:23:49. > :23:53.receiving end. We would not accept a witness abuse in person in the

:23:54. > :23:56.street or the classroom. As such, we must send a message that cyber

:23:57. > :24:05.bullying in any form cannot be tolerated and should be reported. As

:24:06. > :24:10.I touched on earlier on, the eyes of Internet has made it easier for

:24:11. > :24:15.women to be attacked. The revenge upon the helpline has received 4000

:24:16. > :24:22.calls from people receiving sexual abuse. Reported cases have risen

:24:23. > :24:29.remarkably, with victims ranging from 11 to pensioners. Two thirds of

:24:30. > :24:32.the incident involving women, were suspects former partners. There were

:24:33. > :24:39.eight female complainant is every mail. Statistics sound all to

:24:40. > :24:43.similar to the incident of domestic violence. And this is a difficult

:24:44. > :24:52.problem to solve, but there is work being done to reduce cyber bullying.

:24:53. > :24:58.The SNP have funded Respect Me, and antibody and service which held

:24:59. > :25:06.young people in Scotland. -- anti-bullying. They have highlighted

:25:07. > :25:12.bullying is bullying whether it takes place on the street or online.

:25:13. > :25:16.In conclusion, we need to develop effective policies to tackle the

:25:17. > :25:21.problems online. One of the central messages we should send out from

:25:22. > :25:24.this is anyone who has been a victim of online abuse should not hesitate

:25:25. > :25:30.to report this to the police, and I would agree with the honourable

:25:31. > :25:35.member when she said companies like Facebook could and should do much

:25:36. > :25:40.more to investigate or block abusive posts. No one should have to go home

:25:41. > :25:46.from work or school and experience bullying online. As well as offering

:25:47. > :25:48.support, we have to take series action on the perpetrators of this

:25:49. > :25:55.poisonous and ultimately how the behaviour.

:25:56. > :26:03.My apologies for stepping out but I had a school visit. I would like to

:26:04. > :26:09.find the honourable members for Basingstoke and fissile

:26:10. > :26:13.Pembrokeshire for bringing this very important debate -- South

:26:14. > :26:17.Pembrokeshire. I would like to thank the contributions of those who are

:26:18. > :26:24.spoken before me that I have been here to listen to. Technology is a

:26:25. > :26:27.central part, it is a tool but sadly used maliciously, technology can be

:26:28. > :26:34.turned into a weapon which can and has had damaging consequences on its

:26:35. > :26:40.victims. Members in this House have been victims, and some have been

:26:41. > :26:46.sufficiently frightened by the abuse they have received online, such as

:26:47. > :26:50.they've been afraid to go home at the weekend. Most of victims don't

:26:51. > :26:55.have the benefit of the police and Parliament to support that we have

:26:56. > :27:01.here. And like all bullying, but these tend to target people who

:27:02. > :27:06.already feel runnable. Members have acknowledged the gaps and needs her

:27:07. > :27:11.actions, neither legislation, work with police and prosecutors and most

:27:12. > :27:15.importantly for awareness. And I want to focus my conjuration to

:27:16. > :27:18.online abuse and harassment in schools and the importance of

:27:19. > :27:22.effective consistent school management and curriculum policy to,

:27:23. > :27:28.lamented the effective legislation we also need.

:27:29. > :27:35.In an with one of the movers of the Motion that today, the member for

:27:36. > :27:40.Basingstoke, I am honoured to be a member of the women's Select

:27:41. > :27:44.Committee and we have been addressing the issue of sexual

:27:45. > :27:49.harassment and violence in schools. Our report is not quite ready, but I

:27:50. > :27:54.am sure my Chair will not mind if I give a flavour of all we have

:27:55. > :27:57.experienced. We were shocked to the extent of which sexual imagery,

:27:58. > :28:03.abusive sexual relationships and object of the nation of women has

:28:04. > :28:10.been normalised by young people. -- objective equation. We had two

:28:11. > :28:13.sessions, one with younger men and one with young women and they told

:28:14. > :28:19.us their experience of the use and misuse of technology in and around

:28:20. > :28:25.the school environment. My feeling is if we don't understand and are

:28:26. > :28:30.just that misogyny and homophobia and the racism and all other kinds

:28:31. > :28:34.of abuse, if we don't understand it and its technical use, we risk

:28:35. > :28:38.turning victims into criminals and do not give the fixing of the

:28:39. > :28:43.support they so badly need. I want to focus my remarks on the

:28:44. > :28:46.experience brought to me by a one of my constituency was a at a

:28:47. > :28:50.successful and thriving secondary school. It follows the revelations

:28:51. > :28:54.from a recent safeguarding investigation held there which

:28:55. > :28:58.introduced him to the shocking mobile and cyber world that

:28:59. > :29:02.virtually every in his school and he presumes other local schools and

:29:03. > :29:09.probably therefore nationally, that every child seems to be engaged with

:29:10. > :29:13.for unfeasibly large portions of the days and nights. What happened in a

:29:14. > :29:18.school started with the change of voters between two students who were

:29:19. > :29:22.in a consensual sexual relationship but it escalated and the images got

:29:23. > :29:29.out and there was blackmail and violence. The police got involved.

:29:30. > :29:37.Criminal charges were possible and so on. So what started consensually

:29:38. > :29:43.ended up being truly violent abuse. This could be prevented. It is this

:29:44. > :29:46.aspect I want to address. The situation raised some really

:29:47. > :29:52.important aspects of child online and mobile safety and the equalities

:29:53. > :29:58.agenda that can be ignored. What are the headteacher is seeking is a body

:29:59. > :30:03.of work with these key areas with cross party and organisational

:30:04. > :30:07.support that can help schools and parents in particular to safeguard

:30:08. > :30:10.children are much more effectively. It is right to focus on

:30:11. > :30:14.strengthening the law, but we need to look at a parallel solution

:30:15. > :30:18.alongside it if we are not above thousands of children at risk of

:30:19. > :30:22.criminal charges when education and child protection are more in order

:30:23. > :30:25.in those instances. Tackling offenders and strengthening the law

:30:26. > :30:30.while important are only a small part of what needs to be done and it

:30:31. > :30:35.is not on its own a real solution. Elements of the law may need to be

:30:36. > :30:39.carefully considered after a final analysis of the context of this

:30:40. > :30:43.online abuse, where it starts, before being applied to young

:30:44. > :30:46.people, if they're not to be needlessly and unfairly criminalise,

:30:47. > :30:51.such as in the situation I've described. We must focus too much

:30:52. > :30:56.reaction, but look at prevention. The law is not always the correct to

:30:57. > :31:02.will and must only be used in -- must not be used by people engaging

:31:03. > :31:06.in unwise activities, as many do, which relate to the expectation and

:31:07. > :31:08.culture Java mobile and cyber environment in which appropriate

:31:09. > :31:14.adults have virtually no presence and are too often -- where to often,

:31:15. > :31:30.we leave young people abandon to fend and for themselves. The there

:31:31. > :31:34.will be a vacuum -- there will never be a vacuum, but a street culture

:31:35. > :31:39.will follow that void. At last comic he fears and see if this is the case

:31:40. > :31:45.in the mobile and cyber world is our children spent so much of their and

:31:46. > :31:49.night inhabiting. We must take care we do not target and criminalising

:31:50. > :31:53.young people who are in fact, victims. This will require

:31:54. > :31:57.significant training and support for the police and others whose response

:31:58. > :32:04.to such crime appears already to be under confident and very variable.

:32:05. > :32:08.My constituents have described historical justice approaches in his

:32:09. > :32:14.school and this may be appropriate in cases were mitigating factors are

:32:15. > :32:20.considered. The vast majority of our young people are already mobile and

:32:21. > :32:24.online online fixings in the largely unsupervised cyber world. Whilst the

:32:25. > :32:29.Internet gets considerable attention, mobile activity and

:32:30. > :32:34.mobile -based abuse is more rife and more neglected by adults. Parents

:32:35. > :32:37.were teachers and other adults who are normally responsible for the

:32:38. > :32:41.routine safely off children are best placed to supervise and guide young

:32:42. > :32:44.people, yet they are largely absent on the potentially dangerous

:32:45. > :32:51.environments and too little is being done to address this vacuum, this

:32:52. > :32:54.omission. There is an overlooked -- over-focus on the Internet and

:32:55. > :32:59.applications like Facebook because they are what all the people like us

:33:00. > :33:05.use and we are familiar with. The mobile world and the dark web get

:33:06. > :33:08.less attention. Yet, these are part of the experience of most children,

:33:09. > :33:16.maybe the dark web to a lesser degree. But there are lots of apps,

:33:17. > :33:20.and there are others we have probably never heard of but unless

:33:21. > :33:24.we get our kids to tell us and that doesn't always happen. The mobile

:33:25. > :33:28.and online culture in which our children live and grow up and the

:33:29. > :33:32.ground is established in primary years for some and in early

:33:33. > :33:35.secondary for others, that is their normality. This normalisation, with

:33:36. > :33:39.no appropriate adult presence to challenge it is what these to the

:33:40. > :33:43.lack of reporting of sexual and other mobile online and cyber abuse.

:33:44. > :33:47.Young people don't want to go to court ordered on the perpetrators to

:33:48. > :33:51.be punished. That's an issue we have to deal with anyway. The added that

:33:52. > :33:55.abuse is not worth reporting is not necessarily an indictment of the

:33:56. > :33:59.committal justice system, but is may not be considered worth reporting

:34:00. > :34:02.when it is seen as normalised. Data from police forces and court

:34:03. > :34:06.proceedings is a subset of the true or possible datasets. The reality is

:34:07. > :34:10.the relative lack of adult presence in the mobile and cyber worlds of

:34:11. > :34:12.children, including the practitioners responsible for

:34:13. > :34:17.keeping children safe, means conclusions drawn on available

:34:18. > :34:22.quantitative data must be received cautiously. We need to publish a

:34:23. > :34:30.different online culture and skill up children and parents and adults.

:34:31. > :34:34.There needs to be consistent training for police, Children's

:34:35. > :34:40.Services, health and education staff on Child exploitation and how to

:34:41. > :34:45.support victims. In short, parents do not know how to be part of the

:34:46. > :34:48.mobile and cyber world and in schools, they have a responsibility

:34:49. > :34:56.in this debate and in the remedies. Some suggestions that, from the work

:34:57. > :34:59.that some schools have done, including having equalities and

:35:00. > :35:04.safeguard committees, updating behaviour policies with a strong

:35:05. > :35:08.safeguarding structure, training her parents, staff and students.

:35:09. > :35:11.Students should be engaged in this work and policy development and

:35:12. > :35:20.roll-out on an equal ratio with adults. Up-to-date security within

:35:21. > :35:24.the school, ensuring staff, students and parents are clear on the law and

:35:25. > :35:27.their rights, and assuring an encouraging a transparent culture so

:35:28. > :35:33.that's where children are welcome at parents and school staff

:35:34. > :35:36.interrogating their devices as a matter of course. That is a

:35:37. > :35:40.challenge for a parents, but we need to think about it, but in the

:35:41. > :35:47.context of overall policy. Telephone clear consistent procedures

:35:48. > :35:50.regarding social media and sexual exploitation and mobile and online

:35:51. > :35:53.incidents including the protection of stuff we investigate such

:35:54. > :35:59.incidents, but also taking into account privacy. Also working with

:36:00. > :36:03.relevant organisations such as the police. Also using pupil at

:36:04. > :36:07.challenge is to keep the school of today with developments in social

:36:08. > :36:15.media and portable apps and help inform safety curriculum

:36:16. > :36:19.developments. Referring to what she said about the difficulty with

:36:20. > :36:23.teenagers. Would she agree that we should perhaps look at a House at

:36:24. > :36:28.whether there ought to be a duty on parents to be aware of what their

:36:29. > :36:32.children are doing online, a legal duty, in the same way we have legal

:36:33. > :36:36.duty to make sure our children aren't exposed to other kinds of

:36:37. > :36:42.dangers? I think he raises an interesting point and as a parent of

:36:43. > :36:48.to young adults, I've always wondered why there are all sorts of

:36:49. > :36:51.people required to do all sorts of things in respect of children in

:36:52. > :36:55.their care, but there doesn't seem to be a legal duty you sign when you

:36:56. > :37:03.pop out a baby. Interesting one. I'm sure there is -- are people form

:37:04. > :37:12.legally qualified than me who can respond in detail to his relevant

:37:13. > :37:21.and question. Thank you and I have concluded my core points, but I will

:37:22. > :37:25.finish by saying what we need to address about online abuse is a

:37:26. > :37:30.whole raft and a mixture of issues that include enforcement and

:37:31. > :37:33.criminal charges, policing and also public and education policy and

:37:34. > :37:45.solutions in order to not criminalise victims. Thank you. I

:37:46. > :37:49.won't go on too long and I lose the quality of the debate I permit a

:37:50. > :37:53.short speech. I'm sure the other honourable members will appreciate

:37:54. > :37:59.that. In my maiden speech, I said I'd be an advocate in this place for

:38:00. > :38:02.the Internet and online sector of the British economy, because it

:38:03. > :38:06.creates lots of jobs. That doesn't mean I'm an apologist for that

:38:07. > :38:12.sector or will excuse other negative consequences that have occurred.

:38:13. > :38:16.There is an awesome responsibility of all state holders in the Internet

:38:17. > :38:20.economy and legislators and other players to make sure we create a

:38:21. > :38:23.safe environment for our children in particular. The Internet is created

:38:24. > :38:27.an environment in which adults behave like children and children

:38:28. > :38:30.are behaving like adults in a way that we've never really understood

:38:31. > :38:34.before. It's been commented on by many members about the great work

:38:35. > :38:37.being undertaken in the schools and the education of children about

:38:38. > :38:42.online bullying programmes. I've seen that in action in schools in my

:38:43. > :38:47.constituency and I applaud the great work of teachers in this place. It's

:38:48. > :38:50.also been mentioned that the prevalence for children these days

:38:51. > :38:54.to have mobile phones which often the parents find it difficult to

:38:55. > :38:59.block or unlock all be able to work out how they can make sure those

:39:00. > :39:03.phones are secure in a way they perhaps have the confidence of doom

:39:04. > :39:08.with computers. Is the case that the average Brit looks at their phone at

:39:09. > :39:11.100 times a day. More people would be willing to give up chocolate,

:39:12. > :39:24.showers or indeed sex rather than their mobile phones. I'll leave you

:39:25. > :39:29.with this anecdote. Today has been the first time in my entire time in

:39:30. > :39:33.the Parliament where I haven't looked at my mobile phone to see

:39:34. > :39:39.abuse on Twitter, Facebook or an e-mail. That is because 14 hours ago

:39:40. > :39:42.I lost my mobile phone. It's been one of the most relaxing ram

:39:43. > :39:43.productive days of my time in Parliament and I highly recommend

:39:44. > :40:04.it. Thank you for outline of the

:40:05. > :40:11.homophobic and racist abuse and horrors of child abuse we so often

:40:12. > :40:20.see on the Internet. The member for... Described how abuse can take

:40:21. > :40:24.place. Another member issued a stark warning that children were losing

:40:25. > :40:29.their ability to empathise, which I think all of us found striking and

:40:30. > :40:35.interesting. I was particularly happy to hear her description of her

:40:36. > :40:42.own doorstep visits to trawls and for a moment, I almost all sorry for

:40:43. > :40:47.the pathetic creatures imagining the turning of a remonstrating with

:40:48. > :40:51.them. -- trolls. There's been a whole variety of speeches from

:40:52. > :40:57.members describing their personal experiences. I was struck by one

:40:58. > :41:02.member who described a fixed in's terrifying online experience, but

:41:03. > :41:06.particularly moving was another member who talked of her own

:41:07. > :41:15.experiences being at the receiving end of abuse from online cowards.

:41:16. > :41:17.Today, we are all connected. We use the Internet to conduct business and

:41:18. > :41:21.entertainment and connect with our friends through social media. All

:41:22. > :41:26.mobile phones in our pockets ensure that we are available any time,

:41:27. > :41:30.anywhere and we can instantly share photos and videos with family,

:41:31. > :41:37.friends and complete strangers. For the vast majority of people, this

:41:38. > :41:45.collectivity has enhanced our lives. However, as a historian wrote,

:41:46. > :41:51.technology is neither good, nor is it bad. Nor is it neutral. As we

:41:52. > :41:52.have heard, online abuse is one of the negative consequences resulting

:41:53. > :42:03.from advances in online technology. Social media can be a platform for

:42:04. > :42:10.sharing content intended to him and it's on to as large an audience as

:42:11. > :42:16.possible. While an iPhone can keep in touch with friends, it can be an

:42:17. > :42:20.instrument in which an individual is harassed and intimidated. Whilst

:42:21. > :42:24.Twitter can provide an opportunity for banter, as members of this House

:42:25. > :42:31.no, it can be used by cowardly bullies hiding behind anonymity to

:42:32. > :42:36.send abuse. As this debate has shown, all political parties have

:42:37. > :42:40.sent out strong and clear messages that this type of behaviour must be

:42:41. > :42:46.strenuously tackled and we must consider every possible method of

:42:47. > :42:50.dealing with it, including strengthening existing legislation.

:42:51. > :42:54.Mr Deputy Speaker, children and young people are the first to

:42:55. > :42:59.embrace and adapt to changes in technology. This also means that

:43:00. > :43:03.they are more likely to be the victims of online abuse. Much of

:43:04. > :43:08.this abuse can come from their own peers. The abuse has been

:43:09. > :43:10.exacerbated by the use of social media, and the widespread

:43:11. > :43:18.availability of smartphones with cameras. In late 2004, happy

:43:19. > :43:22.slapping began as a youth craze throughout the UK, and maybe you

:43:23. > :43:29.have forgotten, it was covered wildly in the tabloids. It involves

:43:30. > :43:36.filming acts of violence, such as slapping, then circulating the

:43:37. > :43:41.videos I Bluetooth. This escalated to more serious assaults, two sexual

:43:42. > :43:45.assaults and in some instances to manslaughter. Social media sites

:43:46. > :43:49.such as Facebook and Twitter have provided further platforms for car

:43:50. > :43:54.words. The intention is to humiliate and intimidate them, to make them

:43:55. > :43:58.feel worthless and share their misery with the world, increasing

:43:59. > :44:03.the feeling the whole world is against them. Rightly these types of

:44:04. > :44:08.videos are condemned, removed sometimes bite site administrators

:44:09. > :44:13.and sometimes, but not often not, investigated by the police. Other

:44:14. > :44:18.types of abuse are more subtle and difficult to act against. An

:44:19. > :44:23.embarrassing pictures or videos, altered photos or videos taken

:44:24. > :44:31.without permission can be widely shared. Behaviour can manifest

:44:32. > :44:37.itself easier online, victims can be ridiculed and singled out, rumours

:44:38. > :44:42.can be spread quickly and widely and people can be excluded. The ability

:44:43. > :44:47.to go online does not create a bullying, but away from the

:44:48. > :44:50.classroom and playground, it helps it to go unnoticed. Those who are

:44:51. > :44:57.most targeted by conventional bullying are also targeted online

:44:58. > :45:03.abuse. In 2016, the UK say the Internet centre published a study

:45:04. > :45:06.which found that of those 13 to 18-year-olds serve eight, had been

:45:07. > :45:12.targeted because of their gender, their sexuality, their race,

:45:13. > :45:19.religion, disability or the fact that they were transgender. The

:45:20. > :45:23.honourable gentleman is making a powerful contribution. One of the

:45:24. > :45:29.critical aspects, one of the key aspects of this abuse he is

:45:30. > :45:33.illustrating is the ability of the people on the Internet to be

:45:34. > :45:38.anonymous. Does he think it is time for the House to come to a view

:45:39. > :45:47.about Internet anonymity and Wevill we should allow it to persist in

:45:48. > :45:52.this country? At it is an interesting issue. Do we have an

:45:53. > :45:57.entitlement to anonymity? Perhaps we should preserve it. I would think

:45:58. > :46:03.about it, I'm not sure. I was interested in my country should not

:46:04. > :46:06.one of the members on the side made, suggesting perhaps what Facebook and

:46:07. > :46:15.tradition be doing is using technology to identify certain trawl

:46:16. > :46:18.words, for example, and for that to result automatically in the

:46:19. > :46:22.suspension of the accounts concerned. These amongst other

:46:23. > :46:31.issues, perhaps a minister will go away and look at and perhaps address

:46:32. > :46:36.in his speech later on. One in 25 of young people who have spoken about

:46:37. > :46:43.this in a variety of different surveys said they were singled out

:46:44. > :46:46.for abuse all or most of the time. That is a horrendous thing for young

:46:47. > :46:53.people do have to deal with. And teenagers with disabilities and

:46:54. > :46:56.those from African, Middle Eastern and other minority groups were much

:46:57. > :47:01.more likely to encounter cyber bullying. To target this north of

:47:02. > :47:08.the border, the Scottish Government has funded Respect Me, which acts a

:47:09. > :47:12.source of information that young people. They've made available

:47:13. > :47:19.publications to raise awareness of the issue of cyber bullying, and the

:47:20. > :47:22.service works well with adults involved in the lives of children to

:47:23. > :47:26.give them practical skills and confidence to deal with children who

:47:27. > :47:31.are bullied and those who bully others. They are keen to stress that

:47:32. > :47:35.no matter where billing takes place, it needs to be addressed and

:47:36. > :47:40.challenged. This is a message worth repeating. Anyone suffering from

:47:41. > :47:45.bullying, whether online or not, must report it and stand up to

:47:46. > :47:51.bullying. Online, children and young people are also in further danger

:47:52. > :47:56.from sexual abuse. A recent study by Unicef published introducing team

:47:57. > :47:59.suggested eight out of 1018 -year-old worldwide believe they or

:48:00. > :48:04.their families, friends are in danger of being sexually abused as a

:48:05. > :48:09.result of online activity. The ability that people have online to

:48:10. > :48:13.remain anonymous or take on another identity is eight contributed

:48:14. > :48:16.factor. It leads to an increased likelihood of receiving unwanted

:48:17. > :48:23.sexual comments, unsolicited material or pressure to participate

:48:24. > :48:28.in sexual activity. This is also a problem, as we've heard today,

:48:29. > :48:33.experience by adult women with applications such as Napster and

:48:34. > :48:38.tinder to providing an easy way for men to harass them -- Insta ground.

:48:39. > :48:50.Revenge has the intention of causing harm.

:48:51. > :48:55.The helpline has received almost 4000 calls in the last year alone,

:48:56. > :49:01.with cases reported from children as young as 11 years old. Furthermore,

:49:02. > :49:13.tends to stigmatise women are common. The thing There were

:49:14. > :49:18.thousands of troops attacking individuals as a shut or horse.

:49:19. > :49:27.Women in for the Clyde are prime targets for abuse. In Scotland, the

:49:28. > :49:32.three biggest parties led by women, one gay, and they all have to deal

:49:33. > :49:37.with sexual tweets. The Scottish Conservative Party leader Ruth

:49:38. > :49:43.Davidson has suffered horrendous homophobic abuse and has handled it

:49:44. > :49:49.with humour, honesty and courage. I am grateful again. One of the

:49:50. > :49:53.relations coming out of the awful murder of Jo Cox was the amount of

:49:54. > :50:02.abuse directed at members of Parliament, but the milk members --

:50:03. > :50:06.but female members. Does he think it would be appropriate for the

:50:07. > :50:10.Parliamentary authorities to publish an annual report on the levels and

:50:11. > :50:15.content of the types of abuse people are receiving? Most right-thinking

:50:16. > :50:22.members don't know, and it comes as is a price to learn a member has

:50:23. > :50:26.received this material. I think that is an excellent idea, and I think

:50:27. > :50:29.one of the great things about this debate is the fact people are being

:50:30. > :50:35.able to share their experiences and I suspect many members are quite

:50:36. > :50:38.surprised to discover, especially perhaps some of the men are quite

:50:39. > :50:44.surprised to discover just exactly how wait to read this is and so I

:50:45. > :50:49.think it would be an excellent thing for the House today -- widespread.

:50:50. > :50:52.The online world has enhanced our democracy by a long people to

:50:53. > :50:55.interact with politicians in a way they could not before. Robust

:50:56. > :50:59.political debate is part of our public life and we must cherish it,

:51:00. > :51:06.even when it takes place in terms or in language we might not personally

:51:07. > :51:08.use. What cannot be tolerated is debasing critical debate with

:51:09. > :51:16.threats of violence, insults and abuse based on misogyny, homophobia

:51:17. > :51:21.and racism. Opposition to online abuse is something which unites all

:51:22. > :51:27.of our political parties. It is not just politicians that suffer such

:51:28. > :51:30.online abuse when the famous. High profile TV personalities,

:51:31. > :51:35.journalists, academics and actors are all subject to abuse whether it

:51:36. > :51:39.is petty and crude or freshening ambitions. Online, many people seem

:51:40. > :51:44.to lose a sense of themselves and who they are, and would say things

:51:45. > :51:50.they would never dream of saying in person. I make a point quite often

:51:51. > :51:55.of writing to people and saying, can you imagine coming up to me and

:51:56. > :51:59.saying that to me in real life? And of course you wouldn't, so why on

:52:00. > :52:04.earth do you feel free to say it simply because it is online?

:52:05. > :52:10.However, hiding behind a pseudonym and Khartoum profile picture does

:52:11. > :52:15.not make the abuse any less real -- cartoon. We have a duty of care and

:52:16. > :52:20.it is vital we send out a strong message that online abuse is wrong

:52:21. > :52:29.always, and one clear message, I think, in conclusion is that

:52:30. > :52:34.Facebook and Twitter are hopelessly inadequate when it comes to the

:52:35. > :52:41.responses to online and sometimes a very violent bullying. It seems that

:52:42. > :52:47.the House across both sides and all parties once the Minister to tackle

:52:48. > :52:52.Facebook and Twitter on our behalf and much more importantly on behalf

:52:53. > :52:54.of all of our constituents, another forward to hearing what he has to

:52:55. > :53:04.say on the matter. I would like to thank the backbench

:53:05. > :53:09.business committee for granting what is a really important debates and to

:53:10. > :53:20.congratulate the honourable members for Basingstoke and the

:53:21. > :53:29.contributions in this debate have been characterised by reasonable,

:53:30. > :53:37.well-informed arguments, which I think reflects a consensus around

:53:38. > :53:44.the House. And also a desire for a constructive improvements and a

:53:45. > :53:48.situation that many of our own constituents and ourselves as

:53:49. > :53:53.members of Parliament face. I may have mentioned this in the past, but

:53:54. > :53:58.before entering this House, I spent many years as an engineer, building

:53:59. > :54:06.out the networks which eventually formed the Internet. I did that

:54:07. > :54:10.because I see technology as enabling, as the Member for

:54:11. > :54:16.Sheffield Brightside also emphasised, technology is building

:54:17. > :54:21.bridges in connecting people, rather than bullying and snooping on

:54:22. > :54:26.people. I lot of time in this House and outside are talking about the

:54:27. > :54:31.positive benefits that technology and particularly the Internet can

:54:32. > :54:36.bring if harnessed properly. For most of us, the Internet is a window

:54:37. > :54:40.on the world, a place to learn about what is happening, to keep in touch

:54:41. > :54:46.with friends or make new ones, to buy, to find a new job, to study, to

:54:47. > :54:53.play games. But the increasing presence of online abuse means all

:54:54. > :55:00.too often the Internet is a place where people do not feel safe. As my

:55:01. > :55:06.honourable friend, the Member for Brentwood said, technology is a tool

:55:07. > :55:11.that can be turned into a weapon. As we become ever more connected, there

:55:12. > :55:20.are fewer safe spaces for bullying and harassment. The Member for calm

:55:21. > :55:25.on reminded us of the horrifying statistics, one third of children

:55:26. > :55:30.have been a victim, one quarter have come across racist or sexist

:55:31. > :55:37.messages, and according to the safer Internet centre, four and five

:55:38. > :55:46.teenagers saw or heard online hates in 2015. That is 80% of our

:55:47. > :55:51.children. The Member for South Perthshire emphasised how online

:55:52. > :55:57.pornography is available that targets children as young as 11.

:55:58. > :56:01.Whilst the Member for North West Hampshire suggested we are

:56:02. > :56:07.sleepwalking into a mental health epidemic because of the impact of

:56:08. > :56:12.bullying and on line hate on our young people. Citizens in this

:56:13. > :56:18.country, they enjoyed the right to walk down their street without being

:56:19. > :56:23.attacked or harassed. When it happens, the police act. Online

:56:24. > :56:30.citizens should have the same rights. As the member said, we need

:56:31. > :56:36.to protect our digital citizens. The Member for mid-Worcestershire said,

:56:37. > :56:44.in his short but powerful contribution, we should focus on our

:56:45. > :56:48.duty to protect young people. Mr Deputy Speaker, that kind of phrase

:56:49. > :56:55.is digital citizens deserve digital rights. It is the government's

:56:56. > :57:02.primary responsibility to keep at it is unsafe, but it is failing that

:57:03. > :57:07.for citizens on line. This is not a technology issue, as the membership

:57:08. > :57:16.for Basingstoke emphasised, it is about standards, protocols, control,

:57:17. > :57:19.industry cooperation, self-regulation and necessary

:57:20. > :57:27.legislation. But we cannot just look at what we have now and try to patch

:57:28. > :57:31.the problem. As well as government, Internet companies also have a

:57:32. > :57:36.responsible as he did keep the Internet safe, and I welcome the

:57:37. > :57:40.fact that Internet, the big Internet firms, are beginning to take that

:57:41. > :57:44.responsibility seriously and particle it when it comes to

:57:45. > :57:49.children. In my view, and in the new of many on all sides, they have been

:57:50. > :57:54.too slow and still not doing enough. So it was great news that Twitter

:57:55. > :57:58.decided to add a button to report abuse, but why on earth did it take

:57:59. > :58:09.seven years for them to think of it? It is important we get the

:58:10. > :58:13.principles right rather than keep up with the latest technology and put

:58:14. > :58:16.sticking plasters over whatever the latest innovation is. We can't keep

:58:17. > :58:28.on having this battle with every new Internet giant all ubiquitous app.

:58:29. > :58:32.As a woman engineer and inept predominantly male industry and

:58:33. > :58:38.particularly when I was working for Ofcom, the communications regulator,

:58:39. > :58:43.I remember the outrage voiced by many in the technology sector when

:58:44. > :58:49.asked to simply consider taking responsibility for contents. Their

:58:50. > :58:55.main accusation was of undermining freedom of speech as the member for

:58:56. > :59:01.Hayward and Middleton highlighted but they also called parents

:59:02. > :59:08.irresponsible if their children are found pawn online and accused women

:59:09. > :59:16.in particular of being oversensitive when we objected to violent images

:59:17. > :59:21.of rape or misogynist threats. As we were reminded, it is women who are

:59:22. > :59:31.often victims of online hate and another member has a very robust

:59:32. > :59:40.approach to challenging online abuse, which we unfortunately cannot

:59:41. > :59:43.all emulate. So I remind the industry players particularly of

:59:44. > :59:51.that period when many champions of what I would call a wild West

:59:52. > :59:55.approach to online safety, not to undermine the work they are doing

:59:56. > :00:03.now, which I will, too, but to highlight that -- some of the lack

:00:04. > :00:08.of trust in the Internet we now see and the reluctance of many to go

:00:09. > :00:13.online can be traced to those early mistakes, when they did not put in

:00:14. > :00:19.place the right kind of support and protection for consumers. And I

:00:20. > :00:24.would also say we are now facing a new frontier in citizen data control

:00:25. > :00:28.and many in the industry, any of the same industry players, Facebook,

:00:29. > :00:33.Twitter, Google, are still on the back foot on this. We need to give

:00:34. > :00:48.citizens and consumers control of their data. And on the subject of

:00:49. > :00:54.online outrage, another member highlighted the game- gate scandal

:00:55. > :00:59.and my most recent period of on line vilification came when I have the

:01:00. > :01:06.audacity to suggest that misogyny in gamers could perhaps be signed

:01:07. > :01:11.poster, not necessarily regulated or eliminated, but simply signposted

:01:12. > :01:16.and that raised outrage by many in the industry who still, I think, do

:01:17. > :01:23.not recognise the importance of social responsibility when it comes

:01:24. > :01:27.to the Internet. So, there are many very bright people in this sector

:01:28. > :01:34.and if they can build algorithms to snoop on our e-mail or phone books

:01:35. > :01:37.or tell us who to be friends with all what washing machine to buy,

:01:38. > :01:44.then they should be able to crack down more effectively on abuse and

:01:45. > :01:51.harassment and put me in the control of my own data. The new platforms

:01:52. > :01:56.need to understand this. Perhaps it is not a major priority, because it

:01:57. > :01:59.doesn't come with a revenue stream attached. But safeguarding people

:02:00. > :02:05.should always be the number one priority. Not just because it is the

:02:06. > :02:08.right thing to do, but also because if we allow the internets to become

:02:09. > :02:15.a place where only those who shout the loudest or who use the most

:02:16. > :02:22.appalling abuse can have a voice, then people will turn away from

:02:23. > :02:28.using it. As a member said, they must be held to account. I'm

:02:29. > :02:32.particularly pleased then that the Motion makes reference to training

:02:33. > :02:38.and education for the police and the young people. I would like to

:02:39. > :02:45.welcome the recent standing up to bullying day on July the 5th,

:02:46. > :02:48.organised by the Diana Awards, which seeks to build digital resilience

:02:49. > :02:55.and the work done by many third sector organisations. This is not a

:02:56. > :02:57.problem that's going to take care of itself without significant and

:02:58. > :03:05.sustained action from industry and governments. And I would like to

:03:06. > :03:09.also welcomed the reclaim the Internet campaign, which many across

:03:10. > :03:16.the House are working on, including my honourable friends the member for

:03:17. > :03:20.Northampton and Castleford. I am sure she looks to the digital

:03:21. > :03:28.economy will fall some of the appropriate responses to online

:03:29. > :03:32.abuse. But I'm afraid we did not see them. I hope the minister will be

:03:33. > :03:36.delighted to learn that we on this side of the housing tend to make

:03:37. > :03:42.significant improvements to the digital online bill and the Digital

:03:43. > :03:48.economy Bill, a successful digital economy requires its citizens and

:03:49. > :03:51.consumers are protected and empowered and both governments and

:03:52. > :04:00.platforms need to use technology to support citizens instead of leaving

:04:01. > :04:08.it to the haters to attack them. I'm very grateful to get the chance to

:04:09. > :04:15.speak. I've no idea how long I have, but I'll keep going until you

:04:16. > :04:21.indicate otherwise. If he keeps it to around ten minutes, we will all

:04:22. > :04:27.be happy. Let me begin by thanking my right honourable friend for this

:04:28. > :04:32.important debate. I was lucky enough to work with her when she was

:04:33. > :04:36.Secretary of State and she took on two important issues, one was the

:04:37. > :04:40.issue of press regulation and the other was equal marriage, both of

:04:41. > :04:46.which she handled with aplomb. That I also have to say that she has

:04:47. > :04:51.shown the House how one transitions from that position to a new role and

:04:52. > :04:54.has taken a huge leading role in this House in terms of women and

:04:55. > :05:02.equalities issues and certainly has pushed forward the important agenda

:05:03. > :05:07.of online abuse. So it's no surprise at all to find a leading this debate

:05:08. > :05:11.and also setting out some very clear approaches and suggestions for the

:05:12. > :05:15.Government, which I think it is beholden on us to take seriously and

:05:16. > :05:19.think it is worth recalling that when these issues have been raised

:05:20. > :05:26.in the House, for example the honourable member first raised the

:05:27. > :05:32.issue about children's access to adult content online, they have

:05:33. > :05:35.resulted in action. Sometimes debates in this House can appear to

:05:36. > :05:40.be simply an exchange of views between Government and the members

:05:41. > :05:45.of the House, but actually come on this agenda, because it is so fast

:05:46. > :05:49.moving, I think that the House has a great deal of influence in the

:05:50. > :05:55.direction of Government policy. As I say, without wishing to pick out

:05:56. > :05:59.individual is too much, I would say my right honourable friend has

:06:00. > :06:06.certainly pushed this forward, not least the change in legislation on

:06:07. > :06:12.revenge pornography last year. I think it would be remiss of me to go

:06:13. > :06:17.through every single speech that has been made, I think we have something

:06:18. > :06:21.like 18 or 19 honourable member that I make contributions and all of

:06:22. > :06:31.those have been serious and worthwhile. Though I'd appreciate

:06:32. > :06:38.the odd moment of light-heartedness, not least from my honourable friend

:06:39. > :06:42.who pointed she responds to online abuse the picture of a kitten, and

:06:43. > :06:46.that appealed to me as I have a now well-known picture of a kitten

:06:47. > :06:49.sitting on my shoulder when I visited Battersea cats and dogs home

:06:50. > :06:59.and I will allow you that in future to respond to my online trolls. I

:07:00. > :07:02.was also amused when another complained that teenagers now live

:07:03. > :07:05.in the world surrounded by people who are perfect and wonderful to

:07:06. > :07:10.look at and I wondered what he thought that was a problem when all

:07:11. > :07:13.of us in this House exist in a world of the Palace of Westminster where

:07:14. > :07:17.people are charming and lovely and the world is absolutely perfect, as

:07:18. > :07:25.we found out particularly in the last week or so. It seems to me that

:07:26. > :07:30.what has emerged of four clear issues, but let me briefly pause to

:07:31. > :07:34.put into context that first of all, this Government is quite rightly

:07:35. > :07:39.committed to an open Internet. When I attend international forums, it is

:07:40. > :07:42.very important that the UK are committed to what we call the

:07:43. > :07:45.multi-stakeholder approach for Internet governance and that is

:07:46. > :07:50.civic society, business and Government working together to keep

:07:51. > :07:54.the Internet open and free, because we know that more authoritarian

:07:55. > :07:57.inclined regimes would like to regulate the Internet and restricts

:07:58. > :08:04.freedom of speech and clamp-down on innovation. However, it is perfectly

:08:05. > :08:10.true that we in this Government and country regard what is illegal or

:08:11. > :08:17.wrong off-line as illegal and wrong online. I think as some honourable

:08:18. > :08:23.members made the point earlier, some people seem to believe that the

:08:24. > :08:26.rules of behaviour and indeed the legal rules we all live by in the

:08:27. > :08:34.physical world somehow do not apply on the Internet. That is not the

:08:35. > :08:37.case. I think the UK has led the way in approaching this issue, partly

:08:38. > :08:41.from a perspective of self-regulation rather than

:08:42. > :08:44.legislation, that is because self-regulation works because it

:08:45. > :08:48.brings about partnerships and also because it helps us move forward

:08:49. > :08:54.more quickly. A good example is the creation of the Internet watch

:08:55. > :08:58.foundation, which was really the first charity focused on images of

:08:59. > :09:02.child sexual abuse and it's a model that's been copied around the world

:09:03. > :09:08.and they became incredibly important in driving forward the changes that

:09:09. > :09:12.were brought about recently in terms of working with search engines such

:09:13. > :09:18.as Google to make it much, much harder to search and discover ridges

:09:19. > :09:22.of child abuse online. We worked again with and to ensure funding

:09:23. > :09:26.from Internet service providers to increase their capacity and we've

:09:27. > :09:30.worked with the ten large providers to use technology to be able to

:09:31. > :09:35.match and traced images to make it easier to catch perpetrators.

:09:36. > :09:40.Similarly, by working with industry we were able to secure family

:09:41. > :09:46.friendly filters that default on option where people log on and have

:09:47. > :09:51.two actively disable the filters that prevent harmful content from

:09:52. > :09:57.reaching young people and also with the industry on a very important and

:09:58. > :10:04.generously funded campaign Internet Matters, they previously set of the

:10:05. > :10:06.Council for Internet child safety which brings together 200

:10:07. > :10:14.stakeholders to work on these issues. They have an important

:10:15. > :10:20.effect in terms of driving forward policy. And of course, we continue

:10:21. > :10:26.to make progress increasing police capability, the creation of the

:10:27. > :10:31.First Minister for Internet safety,, might colleague Baroness shields and

:10:32. > :10:33.in the Digital economy Bill, the introduction of legislation to

:10:34. > :10:42.ensure age verification for adult content. Let me say what emerged

:10:43. > :10:46.from this debate were four clear issues are trapped in the Government

:10:47. > :10:53.should take forward. First, while there was welcomed praise for the

:10:54. > :11:02.Essex and Durham Constabulary, there was recognition for the need to

:11:03. > :11:08.scale up the police. We do have the scent of combat child exploitation

:11:09. > :11:13.and we have various arrangements within the national police servers.

:11:14. > :11:17.But in cyber crime in general, which is often financial crime, but also,

:11:18. > :11:22.this kind of crime, it should be possible to create specialist units

:11:23. > :11:26.and with a national capability. I also think police should think very

:11:27. > :11:31.hard about the people of the recruits. There is no longer any

:11:32. > :11:35.need to recruit people through a conventional police training method,

:11:36. > :11:42.people who are capable of walking the beat for example or doing the

:11:43. > :11:46.traditional roles of policing. There is every opportunity to recruit with

:11:47. > :11:50.specialist skills and people in this area who may not have transferable

:11:51. > :11:51.skills in the rest of the service, but who could be recruited

:11:52. > :12:06.relatively quickly to do this work. Clarity from the myriad of different

:12:07. > :12:12.acts and statutes which come to bear from this, and I think the new

:12:13. > :12:19.government will want to make a can't make this a

:12:20. > :12:25.Consolidated. That is a clear call from this House which must be taken

:12:26. > :12:29.forward. There was the issue of anonymity, and I noted the Member

:12:30. > :12:36.for East Dunbartonshire debating whether it was an issue which should

:12:37. > :12:39.be considered. I wouldn't want to legislate to remove anonymity, that

:12:40. > :12:43.should be a matter for the individual platform, whether they

:12:44. > :12:47.allow anonymous users, just as I would not require the role mail to

:12:48. > :12:55.refuse to handle any letter that had been sent an honours -- Royal Mail.

:12:56. > :12:59.It leads me onto the role of platforms. It is interesting, in

:13:00. > :13:04.terms of the online world, we have these companies which in many

:13:05. > :13:09.respects are bigger and more influential than many nation states.

:13:10. > :13:13.Facebook has a population of 1.2 billion, Twitter has a population of

:13:14. > :13:18.300 million, and yet they are to a certain extent that the own devices

:13:19. > :13:24.to create their own rules and regulations, without the role of

:13:25. > :13:31.government or indeed Civic society as a whole being taken into account.

:13:32. > :13:36.Clearly platforms have to work with governments and with civic society

:13:37. > :13:41.to create rules, die would support my right honourable friend in her

:13:42. > :13:51.call in something I've been keen to make progress on, to see within the

:13:52. > :13:56.UK a clear code of competent cut conduct, and for the users, and

:13:57. > :14:00.we've had some horrific examples, but we know these examples because

:14:01. > :14:04.we see them day in, day out, either on the news or ourselves or our

:14:05. > :14:09.friends being attacked, the clarity in terms of the remedies available,

:14:10. > :14:15.rapid remedies available to people abused. I give way. I'm grateful,

:14:16. > :14:21.could he address the situation that was raised, whether there should be

:14:22. > :14:25.legislation placing specific duties on some of these large companies

:14:26. > :14:35.that he talked about, particulate with regard to child protection, and

:14:36. > :14:38.whether we would like to see consolidation of existing

:14:39. > :14:41.legislation into one bill which we could all look at, or we would see

:14:42. > :14:51.some of these measures brought forward individual economy Bill,

:14:52. > :15:01.will that happen? B say, -- B say, the views of my right honourable

:15:02. > :15:07.friend need to be taken seriously. I listen to what he says seriously.

:15:08. > :15:11.How can I put this? I want to get the digital economy Bill through, so

:15:12. > :15:17.I would be cautious about inviting my right honourable friend to load

:15:18. > :15:21.additional responsible at ease on it, particularly on issues which

:15:22. > :15:25.perhaps needs careful thought and planning. I was certainly welcome a

:15:26. > :15:31.discussion with him and indeed I would never rule in future

:15:32. > :15:35.appropriate regulation to push the responsibility on to social media

:15:36. > :15:40.platforms for some of the appalling abuse that we see day in, day out. I

:15:41. > :15:45.don't think it is enough of them, this applies to issues such as

:15:46. > :15:51.intellectual property and the online theft of music and film. It is not

:15:52. > :15:54.enough to see the platform simply as passive vehicles, they are extremely

:15:55. > :15:59.wealthy companies who rely on a large number of users in order to

:16:00. > :16:03.generate the advertising that creates the wealth of their

:16:04. > :16:08.shareholders. There needs to be a partnership, and I wouldn't rule out

:16:09. > :16:15.future regulation. Having said that, given a post Brexit situation, when

:16:16. > :16:21.we are keen to have inward investment, I wouldn't want to

:16:22. > :16:24.frighten anyone off. Clearly we need to work with these companies and

:16:25. > :16:30.clearly we need very clear guidelines and a very clear

:16:31. > :16:37.definition of what our online abuse is, but more importantly, a very

:16:38. > :16:42.quick reaction so all of us as constituency MPs don't have too

:16:43. > :16:46.certain surgeries with people coming in at the distress, sometimes with

:16:47. > :16:51.the lies and pieces because there is material online they soon become a

:16:52. > :16:53.get any adequate response from the platform that is housing that

:16:54. > :16:58.material. This has been an extremely helpful and useful debate, and I

:16:59. > :17:06.look forward to moving seamlessly to the next one, which I'm also

:17:07. > :17:10.responding to. I'd like to find members for supporting this debate

:17:11. > :17:13.with search superb contributions today, and the Minister who has sat

:17:14. > :17:20.in his place listening throughout to this debate and has demonstrated the

:17:21. > :17:25.strength of feeling that he's seen amongst members, across the House.

:17:26. > :17:30.The UK has led the way in tackling some of the early challenges online,

:17:31. > :17:37.working with European and US partners to put on a global approach

:17:38. > :17:41.to outlawing child abuse images. We've also pulled some of the first

:17:42. > :17:46.legislation to make it a crime to post revenge pornography, but we are

:17:47. > :17:52.now at real risk of falling behind, and it is clear today there is

:17:53. > :17:58.universal condemnation of online abuse. Why have we not in parliament

:17:59. > :18:03.seen this government present laws to update that situation? There's

:18:04. > :18:07.cross-party support for specific laws to tackle online abuse, to

:18:08. > :18:11.consider specific duties on the police, and schools, social network

:18:12. > :18:17.platforms, search engines, Internet providers, that show zero tolerance

:18:18. > :18:24.to online abuse. I have to wholeheartedly disagree with my very

:18:25. > :18:28.great friend, the Minister, when he talks about anonymity. We have to

:18:29. > :18:32.lift the veil of anonymity in this country, to make sure people are

:18:33. > :18:37.responsible for what they say. We do it in every other part of our lives,

:18:38. > :18:41.why not online? The Minister is fortunate to have the Digital

:18:42. > :18:45.economy Bill introduced, to make the sort of changes that have been

:18:46. > :18:53.called by members of all parties here today. We need to make sure

:18:54. > :18:56.those changes are made as part also of a coherent cross government

:18:57. > :19:02.strategy. He need to take members concerns back to his department and

:19:03. > :19:11.call for action now. The questionnaires, on the paper. Say

:19:12. > :19:18.aye. The ayes habit, the ayes have it. We come to the backbench debate

:19:19. > :19:19.for the UK support for creative industries and their conjuration to

:19:20. > :19:29.the economy. It is a pleasure to stand to move

:19:30. > :19:33.the motion as on the order paper. Along with the honourable members

:19:34. > :19:36.for Warwick and them in turn, Edinburgh and Dundee, we applied to

:19:37. > :19:42.the backbench business committee to this debate to take place, because

:19:43. > :19:46.it is necessary that this House recognises the vital role that the

:19:47. > :19:50.creative industries plate in our culture and economy. The issue has

:19:51. > :19:54.not been debated for some considerable time in this chamber,

:19:55. > :19:59.and I would like the bank all of those members from all sides of the

:20:00. > :20:05.House who supported the action for this debate. I would also like to

:20:06. > :20:08.put on record I am on the steering committee for Sunderland 2021, which

:20:09. > :20:13.is our bid to be the Capital of Culture in 2021, and although I am

:20:14. > :20:17.and pay for this, I do feel it should be noted as I will be

:20:18. > :20:26.referring to their work and Istomin's bid to become UK city of

:20:27. > :20:29.culture in speech. The UK is a world hub for the creative industries,

:20:30. > :20:35.they showcase the best of our country, they are outward looking,

:20:36. > :20:37.innovative and successful. The achievement of the creative

:20:38. > :20:41.industries can be seen throughout the length and breadth of our

:20:42. > :20:45.country, and I'm sure the honourable members from all sides of the House

:20:46. > :20:49.will be speaking about the wonderful creative elements of the

:20:50. > :20:58.constituencies they represent, just as I will discuss the bass crater

:20:59. > :21:02.video in Sunderland Central. She has started off in a positive fashion

:21:03. > :21:07.and like much appreciated. I used to be the chief executive of a film and

:21:08. > :21:13.video production company, and we had a real that 40% of our income must

:21:14. > :21:16.come from overseas. I wonder whether she has thought about the

:21:17. > :21:22.contribution that creative industries make to the exporter in

:21:23. > :21:27.this country. Absolutely. The creative industries are almost a

:21:28. > :21:33.hidden gem because they are so good at creating wealth and turnover,

:21:34. > :21:37.exports, imports, but they are hidden, they are not the glamorous

:21:38. > :21:43.things you see in manufacturing industries. I absolutely accept the

:21:44. > :21:52.point. The creative industries are comprised of many subsectors,

:21:53. > :21:57.advertising, architecture, arts, crafts, design, fashion, film,

:21:58. > :22:02.music, performing arts, publishing, television, research and develop

:22:03. > :22:07.and, software, games, radio, and goes on and on. That is part of why

:22:08. > :22:13.they are so hidden because they're so bust. I hope that today this

:22:14. > :22:17.House will pay tribute to the central role they all play in

:22:18. > :22:20.helping to drive innovation and growth. We are world leaders in

:22:21. > :22:30.these fields, and there are many success stories. The BBC, which from

:22:31. > :22:34.debates we've held recently is envied and renowned around the

:22:35. > :22:39.world, creating a staggering ?8 billion of economic value for our

:22:40. > :22:44.country. And for every ?1 spent on the BBC through the licence fee, it

:22:45. > :22:49.produces ?2 worth of value through employment, economic opportunities

:22:50. > :22:54.and expenditure. The fashion sector is the largest employer of the

:22:55. > :22:58.creative industries, supporting almost a tendered thousand jobs. And

:22:59. > :23:03.in 2014, the direct value of the UK fashion industry to our economy in

:23:04. > :23:10.this country was estimated to be ?26 billion. Many of our authors are

:23:11. > :23:15.facing economic uncertainty, but they are among the most talented the

:23:16. > :23:22.world, providing engaging scripts were TV, film and theatre. Producing

:23:23. > :23:26.literature, and submitting content for interactive products and

:23:27. > :23:31.services. Our authors play a key role in the UK being a nation of

:23:32. > :23:35.readers. Just this week the Department of culture, media and

:23:36. > :23:39.sport announced the UK's creative sector is booming. Jobs in the

:23:40. > :23:45.creative industries have increased three times faster than the UK

:23:46. > :23:49.average in other sectors. It is now estimated that they generate almost

:23:50. > :23:54.?10 million an hour for the UK economy. Totalling an incredible ?84

:23:55. > :23:59.billion a year, quite staggering figures. In 2015, there were 1.9

:24:00. > :24:08.million jobs in the creative industries, up 19.5% since 2011. And

:24:09. > :24:13.accounting for one in 11 of all jobs in the UK. And over 60% of the jobs

:24:14. > :24:19.in and around the creative sector are skilled to degree level or

:24:20. > :24:23.above. It is therefore highly concerning that the University of

:24:24. > :24:27.Sunderland, in my constituency, has reported that there has been a

:24:28. > :24:32.reduction in the number of applications that they have received

:24:33. > :24:36.from students wishing to study arts, culture and creative subjects. And

:24:37. > :24:42.last month, of course announce entries which each season subjects

:24:43. > :24:51.have fallen by 46,000 this year, compared with 2015. Before coming to

:24:52. > :24:55.this place, I worked in a crate of industries for almost 20 years. As a

:24:56. > :25:00.graduate in economics, can I gently point out it isn't only those who

:25:01. > :25:04.have studied pure art subjects that can contribute to the creative

:25:05. > :25:11.industries, which are one of the greatest exports this country has. I

:25:12. > :25:17.totally accept the point, and I think the figures I've quoted on the

:25:18. > :25:22.value to the economy show the importance to the economy and

:25:23. > :25:27.therefore we need people from other skills, including economists, to

:25:28. > :25:31.take part in it, but it is a worrying sign that creative

:25:32. > :25:36.applications have gone down. I would sincerely hope the government will

:25:37. > :25:39.act to promote creative subjects at GCSE, A-level and BTEC, and

:25:40. > :25:46.challenged the many universities that offer thriving programmes. Mr

:25:47. > :25:50.Speaker, I would like to now focus on the brilliant creativity and

:25:51. > :25:54.culture in Sunderland Central, the contingency I live in and represent.

:25:55. > :26:00.Sunderland has been the centre the culture and higher learning since

:26:01. > :26:08.the seventh century. Benedict built the church in 74A.D on the side that

:26:09. > :26:11.is occupied by the Sunderland University campus. Among the

:26:12. > :26:16.earliest students at the monastery was the renowned author and scholar,

:26:17. > :26:22.the Venerable Bede, Sunderland's proud history and glass making dates

:26:23. > :26:26.back to this period. When the first stained-glass ever made in England

:26:27. > :26:31.was created for Saint Peter's church by craftsmen that had come to

:26:32. > :26:36.Sunderland from France. The national glass centre, which has undergone a

:26:37. > :26:42.?2.5 million redesign, is located in my constituency and tells a story of

:26:43. > :26:47.our city's glass production heritage and attracts more than 200 visitors

:26:48. > :26:52.every year. As well as teaching and research in class and promised, the

:26:53. > :26:57.centre also continues to manufacture glass. As later shown earlier, in

:26:58. > :27:01.order for the creative industries to continue to thrive, we need to

:27:02. > :27:05.ensure that creative subjects are not sidelined in our schools and

:27:06. > :27:11.that our universities continue to aid student creative it develop men.

:27:12. > :27:18.I'm proud we have a fantastic institution for higher education,

:27:19. > :27:23.which specialises in courses that equip graduates with the skills that

:27:24. > :27:27.creative sector needs. Over the past ten years, University of has

:27:28. > :27:33.invested in cultural and creative education, including the Northern

:27:34. > :27:43.centre of photography, but media centre, Spark FM, and the media hub.

:27:44. > :27:49.The this year construction has begun on a new centre for enterprise and

:27:50. > :27:57.innovation at the University's city campus. This will become home to the

:27:58. > :28:00.North East's first lab to support businesses in Sunderland and the

:28:01. > :28:05.wider region and allowing companies the space they need whilst also

:28:06. > :28:10.providing them with access to a higher level of professional and

:28:11. > :28:14.academic expertise. No doubt the new centre will build on the

:28:15. > :28:20.University's strong track record in support for innovation in my city.

:28:21. > :28:24.It's also fair to say the creative industries are growing in the UK in

:28:25. > :28:30.large part due to the Digital economy. In Sunderland, we were once

:28:31. > :28:32.renowned for our coal mining and shipbuilding industries, and now in

:28:33. > :28:39.the north-east, Sunderland is leading the way with a thriving

:28:40. > :28:44.software sector, rising over 150 firms in the city with a vision of

:28:45. > :28:48.future expansion. A major success story has been Sunderland's software

:28:49. > :28:54.city, an ambitious partnership between the public and private

:28:55. > :28:58.sectors and the University. Its aim is to support innovation and growth

:28:59. > :29:04.in the north-east software industry and since it was established in

:29:05. > :29:09.2009, it has persisted over 300 software businesses and help to 150

:29:10. > :29:15.start ups. It is thought to attract investment and skilled workers to

:29:16. > :29:21.our region. Now, over 32,000 people are employed in the North East's IT

:29:22. > :29:26.sector and global tech companies have established permanent bases in

:29:27. > :29:31.Sunderland providing high skilled, quality jobs and promising career

:29:32. > :29:40.path is for young people. As previously said, a group of coders

:29:41. > :29:47.from culture, education, business, media and health and economic

:29:48. > :29:52.regeneration are needed to steer the strategic direction of the bid and

:29:53. > :29:58.help build a compelling vision for Sunderland over the next decade. Our

:29:59. > :30:02.bid to become city of culture in 2021 is showcasing the very best of

:30:03. > :30:08.Sunderland, particularly its creativity. It is a shining light on

:30:09. > :30:17.our vibrant, home-grown music scene. Sunderland -based bands such as Fear

:30:18. > :30:20.Of Music, and the future heads and Frankie and the heartstrings have

:30:21. > :30:25.generated almost ?1 million worth of worldwide record sales they also

:30:26. > :30:29.have the support of our famous sons and daughters such as Dave Stewart,

:30:30. > :30:36.previously of the Eurythmics and Lauren Laverne. Sunderland also has

:30:37. > :30:42.wonderful venues for musicians in which many talented artists have

:30:43. > :30:45.performed. Unlike pitcher but to the tireless work of a sustained live

:30:46. > :30:50.music venues in Sunderland and the Stadium of light, usually home to

:30:51. > :30:54.Sunderland football club. In the summer, it has hosted concerts from

:30:55. > :30:59.some of the biggest names in world music since 2009. Indeed, last week,

:31:00. > :31:03.beyond say kicks off the UK leg of her tour at the Stadium of light.

:31:04. > :31:12.The Stadium of light being built on the former large coalminer --

:31:13. > :31:19.Beyonce. I would also like to but she but to the Sunderland arts and

:31:20. > :31:22.cultural trust, better known... It has been a driving force for many

:31:23. > :31:28.things happening in arts and regeneration at the heart of the

:31:29. > :31:30.Sunderland 2021 bid. It is 2012, the trust has sought to implement

:31:31. > :31:37.ambitious plans that are now coming to fruition, with a vision for

:31:38. > :31:42.Sunderland's future as a vibrant, creating an exciting place where art

:31:43. > :31:46.music and culture flourish. The trust is as establishing a cultural

:31:47. > :31:50.quarter in the heart of our city by converting some of Sunderland's

:31:51. > :31:57.historic buildings into cultural hubs. He just has also put its

:31:58. > :32:01.weight behind the cultural Spring project working with the universe

:32:02. > :32:06.Dalla cultural House trust transform the way people in my constituency

:32:07. > :32:11.and that of my honourable friend 's the member for South Shields and

:32:12. > :32:17.Washington and Sunderland West view, experience and make arts. I am

:32:18. > :32:21.immensely proud of the work that is going on in Sunderland and I am

:32:22. > :32:24.delighted I've had the chance to showcase the wonderful role that

:32:25. > :32:30.creative industries play in our local culture and economy and the

:32:31. > :32:33.importance of this sector to the national economy. I also think this

:32:34. > :32:38.debate is going to give other members the opportunity to show the

:32:39. > :32:41.immense breadth and diversity we have in this sector, which is all

:32:42. > :32:52.too often not talked about in terms of the economic benefit that we can

:32:53. > :32:59.get from the industries. First of all, may I say how delighted I am to

:33:00. > :33:05.follow the honourable member for Sunderland in Central and listen to

:33:06. > :33:08.her remarks. Also so that the Backbench Business Committee for

:33:09. > :33:11.allowing us to secure this debate which we have called to highlight

:33:12. > :33:17.the significant contribution of the creative industries and that's

:33:18. > :33:19.contribution they make to the UK industry and stressed the importance

:33:20. > :33:29.of its continued support, whether through investment or general and

:33:30. > :33:33.wider awareness. The honourable member mentioned various lists in

:33:34. > :33:40.her speech. The creative industries cover a number of iconic and diverse

:33:41. > :33:43.national treasures, whether it is the Tate, Pinewood Studios, the

:33:44. > :33:50.British library and my favourite being and Dell rather than perhaps

:33:51. > :34:00.Beyonce and also the BBC. -- and Dell. The creative industries have

:34:01. > :34:06.contributed 84 by 1 billion to the UK economy in 2014, equivalent to

:34:07. > :34:12.9.6 million every hour with an annual growth of nearly 10%. This is

:34:13. > :34:19.an opportunity to celebrate our creative industries and celebrate

:34:20. > :34:23.how best the sector has its potential realised. It is clear the

:34:24. > :34:28.creative industries are flourishing and are playing an ever increasing

:34:29. > :34:35.role in our economy. With growth outstripping finance and the

:34:36. > :34:46.insurance sectors and employment of 55%, significantly higher than the

:34:47. > :34:51.2.1% average. -- 5.1%. With anticipation that half of

:34:52. > :34:55.occupations will become automated, highly skilled and creative

:34:56. > :35:03.workforce will become important where human ingenuity cannot be

:35:04. > :35:08.replaced by robots. There is at this point appropriate to congratulate

:35:09. > :35:15.the Minister for being the longest serving arts Minister in our

:35:16. > :35:21.nation's great history. Recent figures show the number of jobs in

:35:22. > :35:27.the creative industries increased by 3.2%. That is something in the

:35:28. > :35:32.region of 1.9 million jobs. The increases 2011 has been nearly 20%.

:35:33. > :35:35.These headline statistics are important, but in terms of skills,

:35:36. > :35:41.the flow of talent into the sector is vital and we should continue to

:35:42. > :35:46.encourage and inspire our young people to become more involved and

:35:47. > :35:50.aware of the sector. It is in this context I commend the Government for

:35:51. > :35:58.introducing coding into the curriculum in 2014. We must continue

:35:59. > :36:06.to allow and help our businesses to highly skilled individuals to do so

:36:07. > :36:09.from a strong, UK base of talent and it follows that such a high growth

:36:10. > :36:17.rate in the creative industries most not allow others to create a skills

:36:18. > :36:20.gap in the sector. Whether it is from the primary school level

:36:21. > :36:24.through to colleges and universities, I urge for a nurturing

:36:25. > :36:28.of creative talent to allow the UK to become a renowned internationally

:36:29. > :36:35.as a place to do business in the creative sphere. In my constituency,

:36:36. > :36:39.Warwickshire College sets a strong example offering a wide range of

:36:40. > :36:44.courses in related subject areas to ensure students are able to develop

:36:45. > :36:50.skills and this approach should be taken up more widely. The United

:36:51. > :36:54.Nations defines the UK's creative industry sector as being at the

:36:55. > :37:00.crossroads between arts, business and technology. We are at the

:37:01. > :37:05.forefront of the sector internationally and I would suggest

:37:06. > :37:09.our global ranking of first in terms of soft power is largely due to the

:37:10. > :37:16.rich cultural aspects of our country. The originator of the

:37:17. > :37:21.concept highlighted three pillars that contribute to a nation's soft

:37:22. > :37:28.power, one of which is our strength in terms of culture. Our creative

:37:29. > :37:33.industries underpinned this success. As co-chair of the video games all

:37:34. > :37:38.party group, it would be remiss of me not to mention the sector and its

:37:39. > :37:43.huge contribution to our economy. I am pleased to see my fellow chair,

:37:44. > :37:49.the member for Dundee West in his place and I look forward to hearing

:37:50. > :37:56.his remarks also. The industry employs 24,000 people across 12

:37:57. > :38:01.clusters in the UK, with a significant of games companies based

:38:02. > :38:05.in my constituency. This industry blends the best of British

:38:06. > :38:13.technology, creating games exported around the world. The global market

:38:14. > :38:17.expected to expand by a percent over the next few years, it is something

:38:18. > :38:22.we cannot ignore. An important point about our record is the need for

:38:23. > :38:26.video games to be seen in the context of contributing to our

:38:27. > :38:33.cultural make up and I believe it is right it is put on the same footing

:38:34. > :38:36.as full on television. In terms of investment, the weight is perceived,

:38:37. > :38:41.with regards to its cultural contribution to our society.

:38:42. > :38:47.Parliaments can and should do more to champion the gamers as a

:38:48. > :38:50.mainstream, creative tech industry right across the UK and funding

:38:51. > :38:59.should equitably recognise the sector as such. We are home to 40

:39:00. > :39:08.companies providing 1200 jobs and I'm beginning to feel unfortunate

:39:09. > :39:11.weathervanes silicon spark. The tax credits of video games have been a

:39:12. > :39:14.major boost to the business, both globally and nationally and I

:39:15. > :39:19.encourage the Government is, after the good work it is done in terms of

:39:20. > :39:25.tax credits, to make sure the industry is far more aware of the ad

:39:26. > :39:29.vantage this will give. We need to be sure greater awareness of games

:39:30. > :39:37.developers access to tax credits. 237 games were giving tax relief in

:39:38. > :39:41.2015 and this number must surely grow to help other companies trying

:39:42. > :39:45.to work hard in this industry. We must also continue to invest in the

:39:46. > :39:51.arts, following on from a long tradition of doing so, maintaining

:39:52. > :39:57.world-class museums and galleries. The UK now invest a smaller

:39:58. > :40:04.percentage of its GDP in arts and culture than the EU average and less

:40:05. > :40:07.than competitors such as France and Germany and I'm sure this is

:40:08. > :40:17.something we should be speaking about in the coming months. The arts

:40:18. > :40:21.foster a sphere in which ideas fostered and it benefits our economy

:40:22. > :40:28.enormously. In London theatres generated nearly 100 million in the

:40:29. > :40:32.ATV is in 2013 which is a record number. Furthermore, spending an

:40:33. > :40:39.Arts Council England represents 0.1% of total public spending in England

:40:40. > :40:44.and cultural contribution, 0.4% of UK gross value added. Public

:40:45. > :40:47.investment yields excellent written and hope the Minister will indicate

:40:48. > :40:54.the Government's intention to look more closely at increasing such

:40:55. > :40:58.investment. With more investments comes greater diversity and increase

:40:59. > :41:03.opportunities for ideas to become commercial success stories. The

:41:04. > :41:09.exponential growth of creative industry needs to be recognised by

:41:10. > :41:14.Whitehall. And also by the Business, Innovation and Skills, which notes

:41:15. > :41:20.the centre is part of an industrial growth area. This ties into my

:41:21. > :41:24.contribution to the most recent Queen's speech debate in which I

:41:25. > :41:30.called for an implementation of industrial strategy. As part of that

:41:31. > :41:36.cohesive and concise document, which I envisaged to be a rolling progress

:41:37. > :41:41.report from the Cabinet Office, the Government should outline its

:41:42. > :41:47.promotion and support across the creative and cultural sectors. The

:41:48. > :41:51.Government's export target of 1 trillion annually by 2020 is very

:41:52. > :41:51.welcome, but he must allow industries with such significant

:41:52. > :42:02.growth pattern to flourish. Industry leaders have put forward

:42:03. > :42:08.proposals that could add to our exports. I would like to turn to the

:42:09. > :42:12.Digital economy and note the bill introduced yesterday. The drive to

:42:13. > :42:17.improve our infrastructure will have very positive impact on our ability

:42:18. > :42:22.to innovate, create and improve productivity. Digital technology is

:42:23. > :42:32.embedded in much of what we do. I support the Government in providing

:42:33. > :42:36.our wealth creators providing what class products. The strategy seeks

:42:37. > :42:40.to take inspiration from the creative industries which have been

:42:41. > :42:47.at the forefront of innovation in many aspects of our life. Of course,

:42:48. > :42:51.confidence to invest is key not least in industries that require

:42:52. > :42:55.long-term decision-making. I urge creative industries to be a major

:42:56. > :43:01.consideration as we enter negotiations with the EU. In some I

:43:02. > :43:06.am pleased we have the opportunity today to raise the profile. These

:43:07. > :43:10.statistics speak for themselves in terms of the tremendous contribution

:43:11. > :43:14.the sector makes to our economy and a call on the Government to support

:43:15. > :43:19.and recognise this and allow the potential of the creative industries

:43:20. > :43:27.to be realised. The UK can and should be seen as a creative

:43:28. > :43:36.powerhouse. Can we stick to nine minutes, everybody get equal time.

:43:37. > :43:41.The Chancellor in his Autumn Statement said, Britain is not just

:43:42. > :43:46.brilliant at science, it is brilliant at culture, one of the

:43:47. > :43:51.best investments we can make as a nation is in our extraordinary arts

:43:52. > :43:55.museums, heritage, media and sport, but if we don't also invest in the

:43:56. > :44:03.education which prepares children to play roles in those industries, we

:44:04. > :44:08.will slide backwards. Many of the people here in this debate were able

:44:09. > :44:15.to participate in a debate in Westminster earlier this week about

:44:16. > :44:22.the impact of the E back in education, in theatre, art, drama,

:44:23. > :44:28.music and other expressive arts. Our concern during that debate was that

:44:29. > :44:35.there is a direct relationship between the introduction of a

:44:36. > :44:38.mandatory of a limited number of subjects which include none of those

:44:39. > :44:46.subjects and a reduction in the number of students taking GCSEs,

:44:47. > :44:51.A-levels and other examinations in the subject. I have to say the

:44:52. > :44:58.Minister for education said that was not true. He depended on figures

:44:59. > :45:02.which were at least a year old to sustain his argument that there had

:45:03. > :45:15.not been such a decline and he went on to say, my association is there

:45:16. > :45:18.will be no significant for our subjects as a consequence of the

:45:19. > :45:21.figure of 90%. I have seen evidence that there is already that fall

:45:22. > :45:26.occurring and what I would like to use today in this debate is to

:45:27. > :45:34.persuade the minister who is here in this debate to agree to meet with

:45:35. > :45:38.his colleagues in the Department for Education. If our figures are

:45:39. > :45:45.correct and if that continues to be a decline in the number of students

:45:46. > :45:55.taking up the subjects, in order to persuade his colleagues that that an

:45:56. > :46:00.unintended consequence of the proposal which the minister said is

:46:01. > :46:04.necessary to get us to the same levels as Iceland, on Torrie,

:46:05. > :46:08.countries which are nowhere near ours when it comes to the

:46:09. > :46:15.performance of their creative industries, if he would agree to

:46:16. > :46:20.meet the Minister in the Department for Education, to say to him if the

:46:21. > :46:27.decline continues in the numbers of students doing the subjects in

:46:28. > :46:33.exams, to ask him to include at least one of these expressive

:46:34. > :46:41.subjects students should be able to choose which, within the suite of

:46:42. > :46:46.mandatory GCSE subjects. Because if we do not do that, we will slide

:46:47. > :46:56.backwards and I think there is no doubt that our brilliant creative

:46:57. > :47:04.industries depend enormously on children having experience of drama,

:47:05. > :47:12.dance, art, music in school and they depend enormously on the creativity

:47:13. > :47:16.which is traditionally part of UK education. Frankly, a number of

:47:17. > :47:20.things which are now creative industries, which creative now do

:47:21. > :47:28.you were not invented while I was at school. Video games, beatbox,

:47:29. > :47:36.Twitter, these things simply did not exist. In fact, e-mail did not exist

:47:37. > :47:44.and it seems to me that we need to ensure that young people get the

:47:45. > :47:49.experience of the creativity that is possible and the disciplines and

:47:50. > :47:55.craft which is so much at the heart of many of our creative industries

:47:56. > :48:00.as an experience while they are in school. The honourable member

:48:01. > :48:04.earlier said that it is not necessarily professionally to study

:48:05. > :48:10.the subjects in order to be a creative. Absolutely true, but it is

:48:11. > :48:17.necessary to have experience of them and I am concerned about the number

:48:18. > :48:20.of children particularly and I'm specifically children in the least

:48:21. > :48:25.privileged communities who are losing contact with these

:48:26. > :48:30.experiences. There are wonderful opportunities. Earlier I was at the

:48:31. > :48:34.National Theatre watching the youth drama Festival, outstanding work

:48:35. > :48:40.done by young people in young theatre groups around Britain. But

:48:41. > :48:45.so many young people have never had an opportunity to participate in a

:48:46. > :48:51.live performance of music or all theatre, so many of our young people

:48:52. > :48:57.actually have not experienced all learnt from someone who is employed

:48:58. > :49:01.in a creative industry and I specifically would like the

:49:02. > :49:07.Minister, when he answers this debate, to make a commitment that he

:49:08. > :49:11.will discuss with the Department for Education is my prediction about

:49:12. > :49:18.what is happening to these expressive arts subjects in our

:49:19. > :49:23.schools is correct, that he will directly speak to the minister about

:49:24. > :49:34.ways to end that decline. And in addition, will he ensure that there