Cameron plans to take knife to Ofcom

 

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By Barry Collins

Posted on 6 Jul 2009 at 13:42

Conservative leader David Cameron plans to dramatically reduce Ofcom's remit as part of his crackdown on quangos.

The Tory leader says he will do away with much of the telecoms and broadcasting regulator, including its press office, to help save money.

"Give Ofcom, or give a new body, the technical function of handing out the licences and regulating lightly the content that is on the screens," Cameron told BBC Breakfast.

"But it shouldn't be making policy, it shouldn't have its own communications department, the head of Ofcom [Ed Richards] is paid almost half a million pounds," Cameron added.

"We could slim this body down a huge amount and save a lot of money for the taxpayer."

Ofcom has ballooned in size and remit under Labour. Formed in 2003, the regulator adopted the responsibilities of various predecessors, including Oftel, the Broadcasting Standards Commission and the Radio Authority.

It now has a remit covering everything from clamping down on rogue TV quiz lines to making sure ISPs follow the MAC code procedure.

The Government's Digital Britain report plans to expand its remit, with Ofcom responsible for deploying "backstop measures" that could result in the censorship of file-sharing sites and consumer connections being choked.

Former Ofcom chief Stephen Carter was promoted to Communications Minister by Gordon Brown, although the Digital Britain author is heading back to the private sector later this summer, after less than a year in Government.