The Committee held a pre-appointment meeting with the government's preferred candidate for chair of Ofcom, Dame Patricia Hodgson. The Committee is satisfied that Dame Patricia is a suitable candidate and recommends that the Secretary of State proceeds with the appointment.

The Committee concludes that the preferred candidate for chair of the BBC Trust, Mrs Rona Fairhead CBE, is a suitable candidate for the post

Society lotteries are intended to be primarily a means of raising money for charities and other good causes. The vast majority are small, often local, and raise sums of money that, though not substantial, are vital for the work of the organisations they support. The Gambling Act 2005 relaxed some of the restrictions on such lotteries. This was not a cause of concern until the recent launch of some larger, 'umbrella' lotteries, advertised nationally, run by commercial operations and giving close to the statutory minimum percentage of the proceeds of ticket sales to the good causes they supported. These are controversial in part because they are alleged to stretch the definition of a society lottery as primarily intended to raise money for good causes, and in part because they are seen by some as direct competitors to the National Lottery. As a result, there have been calls for restrictions to be imposed on large society lotteries, while others have suggested the success of the umbrella lotteries could be replicated elsewhere if regulations on society lotteries were relaxed. The Committee has been guided in its approach by the principle that the regulatory regime governing society lotteries should encourage the maximum return to good causes and, provided that the lottery remains focused on its primary purpose, the licensing regime should be light, including continued exemption from gambling and lottery taxes. Accordingly, the Committee recommends greater differentiation between the regulations applied to the great majority of lotteries, which are small and local, and those applied to larger ones, especially those run on behalf of the good causes by commercial organisations, which tend to return smaller proportions of their funds to the charity than single-cause lotteries.

The tourism sector, a massive conglomeration of diverse businesses and organisations, contributes billions of pounds to the British economy and sustains millions of jobs. Yet its central role in the economic activity and life of the country is not given sufficient recognition. Too often, Government fails to factor tourism into its wider decision-making. The Committee have heard convincing evidence that the sub-national structures for supporting tourism in England were damaged by the abolition of the Regional Development Agencies without putting in place adequate arrangements for tourism promotion. With sufficient resources, the Committee believes VisitEngland is well placed to move more decisively into the organisational vacuum left by the abolition of the Regional Development Agencies and the Regional Tourist Boards. It could better coordinate the disparate efforts of some 200 local Destination Management Organisations, focusing its attention on those with most promise of developing a substantial tourism base. It could be an even better source of advice and training to the many small businesses that typify much of the tourism industry. Working with the National Coastal Tourism Academy in identifying and promulgating best practice, VisitEngland could begin the process of turning round those seaside resorts that have lost their way. The Academy is funded by the Coastal Communities Fund - a source of income for which the Committee shares the Government's enthusiasm.

Pre-appointment hearing with the Government's preferred candidate for chairman of the BBC Trust : Second report of session 2010-12, Vol. 2: Oral Evidence

The Culture, Media and Sport Committee's inquiry has focused on three disparate aspects of online content and behaviour, all of which are of widespread concern: illegal content, especially images of child abuse; harmful adult content being made freely available to children; bullying and harassment on social media. The Committee praises the work of the Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) Command, now part of the new National Crime Agency, and the Internet Watch Foundation but calls for more resources to be devoted to their valuable work. All three elements of CEOP's mission - education, social care and criminal justice - need to be actively pursued and publicised. Tracing paedophiles who share images on peer-to-peer networks and the so-called hidden internet continues to challenge both the police and the internet service providers. Legal adult pornography is widely consumed but children should be protected from viewing that material. Legal adult sites could restrict access by children in a number of ways. Age verification is important and whilst filters may not be failsafe, they continue to improve and are an important way of protecting children from harmful content. Ofcom has an important role in monitoring internet content and advising the public on online safety and more needs to be done to signpost the advice and educational resources available to both parents and teachers. Today, one in five 12-16 year-olds think being bullied online is part of life. Social media providers should offer a range of prominently displayed options for, and routes to, reporting harmful content and communications.