Speeches by McKenna.

“Obviously, the code is guidance, but people are probably still going to have to go to actual lawyers to hash this out. Has the guidance provided the level of clarity that organisations really need in what is a very contested space?”

“After the Supreme Court judgment, some organisations went ahead proactively and quite rapidly to changing their own rules; some organisations that stand out are the Women’s Institute, Girlguiding and so on. They changed them in advance, but now the guidance says something slightly different. Where do you think that lea…”

“Another area that was being explored in this code was the position of special category data, particularly where that relates to sex. Fundamentally, until now sex has not been seen as a special category. I get called “Mr” and many people here get called “Miss” and “Mrs”. That was the argument from the EHRC, and that is …”

“All those are very important, but in going down this route of a flat ban, are we conceding that we just cannot force the social media companies to make these platforms safe? Is it innate to social media, or is it something that social media companies are choosing to do? What is your take on that?”

“I can see that there are some things which are very specific to young people at different developmental stages of a human being’s life, but as you have alluded to, some things that young people are being exposed to are also harmful to adults, for example inducing people to kill themselves online. There is some really t…”

“When you are having negotiations with Treasury, wherever that goes in the future, it may help the growth agenda. RAND Europe published a report last year that suggested that every £1 invested in this could return £14 of economic benefit over the course of a person’s life. Have you encountered that kind of benefit, part…”

“Just to declare a personal interest, I have 11 nephews and nieces in Australia. We know that Australia went down the route of a ban; we also know that there is data that many children are still accessing social media. I know the Government’s argument, and part of the theory of change is that having a ban for under-16s …”

“This is quite a gnarly and intense subject, and it is something that the public care a great deal about. There were some technical changes to the code during its drafting and before it was laid before Parliament. What prompted the Government to suggest to the EHRC that it should revise the original draft in relation to…”

“In terms of the status and standing of the code, is the Government satisfied that the clarification that the EHRC issued is sufficient and legally tight, or do we need a new, fully revised code laid, with a new text?”

“I suppose you are right, in one sense, that Government should try to encourage rather than necessarily compel, but the British Government can compel things; they can make things compulsory even if it is then done through a separate body. At the moment a lot of Ofcom’s guidance for improving online safety for women in p…”

“This Government have done quite important things around making sure that where there are structural inequalities, particularly ones related to income, wealth and disability, resources are moved to support and overcome those inequalities. Have you made any assessment of the financial cost of providing free BSL training …”

“Again, from the point of view of equalities law, we are likely to be asking everyone of every age to have to verify that. Everyone in this room would have to verify their age to access their Facebook accounts and so on. Does that have an equalities implication? To protect young people, we are asking adults to change ho…”

“There is some variation across the UK. Northern Ireland has legislated the right for access to sign language courses for deaf children and their families. Will this Government do the same for England, or maybe recommend it more widely across the UK?”

“You have a very large brief in terms of equalities. I would like to move on to some other areas, specifically around disability. Not being able to access British Sign Language courses and training for deaf people and their families can have a devastating impact on those people and everyone around them. This may also be…”

“LGBT people have told us that they are always having to come out in new situations and, over time, they suddenly realise it is quite psychologically wearing. Do you have something like that where every time you are hitting that misogyny and sexism you think, “Why am I doing this again?” Does it have a burden?”

“You all talked about mentors, family support and things like that. It sounds like you are all lucky in different ways in having different people around you that were very supportive. Has that ever been formalised, particularly for people starting their careers in officiating? Are there formal programmes now, or should …”

“Did any of the rest of you hit any barriers, particularly ones just related to you being a woman?”

“Thank you all for coming. I am slightly intimidated by so many competent referees and umpires. I just want to understand from each of you how you got into officiating in the first place.”

“What barriers did you hit along the way?”

“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mr Twigg. I commend my hon. and caring Friend the Member for Ashford (Sojan Joseph) for securing this important debate, which is very pressing for everyone in Kent. As the right hon. Member for Herne Bay and Sandwich (Sir Roger Gale) has just said, this issue is causing a…”