HC Deb 13 November 1940 vol 365 cc1691-2
31. Mr. Granville

asked the Minister of Information whether he will take steps to see that the news bulletins of the British Broadcasting Corporation contain a summary of speeches and questions on Parliamentary proceedings as was, until recently, the normal practice?

Mr. Cooper

Parliamentary proceedings are reported by the B.B.C. as fully as the length of news bulletins allows, but at present the news from the Fighting Services is extensive, and this causes other items to be compressed.

Mr. Granville

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that, of a full-dress Debate in this House last week, in which leaders of all parties took part, only one speech was reported; and does he think that this is a fair report of democratic proceedings in a democratic country?

Mr. Cooper

No, Sir; I drew the attention of the Director-General of the British Broadcasting Corporation to the reporting of that Debate, and he regretted that more space had not been given to the other speeches that had been delivered by hon. Members.

Mr. Granville

Is there any restriction in regard to the time that news is released from the Gallery to the Press and to the radio?

Mr. Cooper

There is a certain restriction on the time at which it is released, as it is not desirable that the times at which we meet should be known to the public.

Sir H. Morris-Jones

Will my right hon. Friend get the B.B.C. to give us a little more Parliamentary news and a little less of the stale war news they give us several times a day?

Mr. Mander

Is my right hon. Friend aware that the B.B.C., when reporting speeches and questions, are now omitting the names of the Members who make and ask them, and will he be good enough to suggest that they might be good enough to insert the names of any such Members, other than mine?

Mr. Granville

Will the Minister look into the fact that the Press find great difficulty in getting their reports into the next morning's newspapers, owing to the restrictions?

Mr. Cooper

It is now much easier than in the past.

Mr. Buchanan

If the reporting of Parliamentary speeches by the B.B.C. is extended, will the right hon. Gentleman see that it is not extended merely to include the speeches of a few selected Front Benchers, but that it shall include the speeches of Members of the House in general?