Reply below from Stephen Timms office on what is now the Digital Economy Act; shame I missed asking him about it the day before yesterday when he had a stall outside Primark on the fine Edwardian style High Street North in East Ham but I was busy preparing for a meeting with an agency who’s clients include Sony Pictures (Sony Pictures maybe one of the first customers for Twitter’s new resonance advertising called ‘Promoted Tweets’ I understand from yesterday’s BBC news piece – hence the mention:-).

Anyhow, pardon the digression the reason for which may become evident shortly – for your kind consideration the letter published below. Any comments?

14 April 2010

Dear Mr Hall,

Thank you for your email of 7 April to Stephen Timms, about the Parliamentary scrutiny of the Digital Economy Act.

The Minister receives a large amount of correspondence every day and is unable to respond to each one personally.  I have been asked to reply.

The Act received extensive scrutiny during its passage through the House of Lords and was considered and approved by the House of Commons before it gained Royal Assent.  In addition the Act was also widely considered by a number of Parliamentary Committees.

A full Commons scrutiny process would have been everyone’s preference, but the calling of the election meant there was insufficient time.  I heard very little suggestion from parliamentarians that the Act should have been abandoned.  Rather, all Parliamentary stages were completed during the wash-up, an agreed process undertaken by the government of the day to conclude Parliamentary business before prorogation.

Yours sincerely,

Johanna Walsh
BIS MINISTERIAL CORRESPONDENCE UNIT