My Lords, I thank all noble Lords who have participated in this wide-ranging debate, in which various issues have been raised.
The noble Baroness, Lady Benjamin, made the good point that there needs to be a level playing field between Parts 3 and 5, which I originally raised and which other noble Lords raised on Tuesday of last week. We keep coming back to this point, so I hope that the Minister will take note of it on further reflection before we reach Report. Pornography needs to be regulated on a consistent basis across the Bill.
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The noble Baroness, Lady Kidron—I offer my congratulations on her birthday; it was remiss of me not to do so earlier—emphasised the need for clarity and consistency yet again, as well as the effects of pornography, which follow people through their lives, give an unrealistic view of relationships and can lead to increased violence against women. We must always remember that one incident of pornography can plague you for the rest of your life, because it will possibly play on your mind and have indirect or unintended consequences for your life’s passage after that.
The noble Lord, Lord Bethell, talked about equality across the Bill, as well as across websites. He raised yet another great real-world example: if organisations such as schools and nurseries cannot keep people safe, we do not allow them to look after children; if businesses cannot keep children safe, they need to be regulated to do so.
The noble Lord, Lord Clement-Jones, stated that it seems that the view of the Committee is clear: we need principles in the Bill that are universal to keep children safe. That is the clear message throughout the Committee debate so far. There may be a better way, and I hope that we can work with the noble Lord, Lord Clement-Jones, and my noble friend Lord Knight and his colleagues, along with the Government Benches, to achieve that.
My noble friend Lord Knight in his summing up raised an excellent point. Again, I come back to this issue: if we do not have clarity or consistency, none of
this work will be as it is intended it should be. If different duties apply and if different levels of proportionality exist, that will only create uncertainty.
The Minister made the point that, with pornography now named as a harm to children, as announced on Thursday of last week, he hoped to consider how consistency is brought across the Bill to ensure that all providers in Parts 3 and 5 will be kept safe from pornography. It seems clear from deliberations in Committee so far that noble Lords do not think that the Bill brings that clarity and consistency. That clearly needs to be addressed and corrected.
This is not about shoving kids out; everyone understands that, despite best efforts, pornography may slip through. It is about consistency. I ask the Minister during the interregnum period between now and the end of Committee and the beginning of Report to further reflect on the issues to do with the need for clarity and consistency in dealing with pornography across the Bill. I beg leave to withdraw the amendment.