Lord Grocott

I wrote this to Lord Grocott on 15th December 2009

Dear Lord Grocott,

I would like to alert you to the dangers inherent in the Digital Economy Bill which is currently before the House of Lords.

The Government hopes that this Bill will improve protection for copyright holders and will introduce penalties for those who breach copyright law.

The legislation as it is proposed would place the power and duty to weigh and test evidence against individuals and to apply punishments for breaches of the law to private companies not to the judiciary. It seems to me that this would be an entirely retrograde step. I hope that you believe, as I do, that it is the courts should decide on breaches of the law and judges or magistrates who should apply punishments based on the circumstances of the case and the evidence provided.

In addition, it seems to me that, Clause 11 of the Bill would give considerable and unwarranted powers to the Secretary of State which could be used to restrict the freedom of speech of UK citizens.

There are other concerns about the Bill, especially the negative effect it is likely to have on the UK economy. I am sure these will be brought to your Lordships' attention during its passage. I have highlighted the areas that seem to provide the most significant and pressing threat to civil liberties. I hope that you will be able to modify the Bill in its passage through the House of Lords.

Yours sincerely,

Ben Proctor