The Online Safety Bill creates a number of duties for companies that host user-generated content to protect their users. However, the Bill has been watered down and weakened by the Government. The Bill no longer creates an obligation for websites to remove 'legal but harmful' material, which means children online can still be exposed to damaging material online.

Over 21 and 22 November, the House took time to debate the Autumn Statement.

On 22 November, His Excellency Cyril Ramaphosa, President of the Republic of South Africa, addressed both Houses in the Royal Gallery of the House of Lords and paid tribute to the close international ties between the two countries.

The 68th meeting of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly took place in Madrid on 18-21 November 2022.

The Assembly is formed of 269 delegates from the 30 NATO member states. I attended as a member of the cross party UK delegation. At the Annual Session, the assembly discussed the draft reports from its five committees and agreed its programme of work for the coming year including the Budget. On 18 May 2022, Finland and Sweden officially applied to join NATO and it was acknowledged that they will be welcomed as full members of the Alliance.

I sat on the Bill Committee for the UK Infrastructure Bank Bill [Lords]. The UK Infrastructure Bank was established in June 2021, with funding of £22 billion over its first five years. The Bank, which is publicly owned, provides finance to the private sector and local government for infrastructure projects. It is currently operating in an interim form, which means it is lacking in staff and functions.