§ 23. Mr. Chapmanasked the Postmaster-General whether, in view of the profits now declared by television programme contractors and of the fact that 80 per cent. of the public criticise 1257 advertising in natural breaks, he will introduce legislation restricting television advertising to periods between programmes while also limiting the number of short programmes in any three-hour period.
§ Mr. BevinsThe hon. Member will have seen from paragraph 65 of the Government's White Paper that we now propose to discuss with the I.T.A. the question of a possible change in the minimum interval of time between breaks.
§ Mr. ChapmanBut would not my proposal take care of the danger noted in the Pilkington Report that to limit the advertising in the way I suggest might lead to a proliferation of rather short programmes? Secondly, is the Postmaster-General aware that the public are getting rather fed up with seeing stupendous profits made out of this intrusion into viewing time, and would it not be good to put on a physical limitation of the kind I have suggested? That would make everybody happy.
§ Mr. BevinsFrankly, if the hon. Gentleman had any idea of the complexities associated with the question of natural breaks, I doubt whether he would have asked those two supplementary questions. I have given an enormous amount of thought to the matter, and I have come to the conclusion that the best way to tackle it is to have early talks with the I.T.A. to see what we can hammer out.
§ Mr. NabarroIs my right hon. Friend aware that I refused to be included in "everybody"?
§ Mr. MayhewThe Minister says that he has given considerable thought to this problem, but is he aware that the abuse of the natural break, which is now generally deplored, has in fact been defended at that Dispatch Box by himself and his predecessor, and will he now take a much stronger line with I.T.A. on this?
§ Mr. BevinsI do not think that it is very rewarding to look at the past; we have to look to the future.