§ Q3. Mr. Winnickasked the Prime Minister if he will set up a Royal Commission to inquire into the present position and difficulties of the national daily newspapers.
§ The Prime MinisterI would refer my hon. Friend to the reply given by my hon. Friend the Minister of State at the Board of Trade to a Question by my hon. Friend the Member for Bristol, South (Mr. Wilkins) on 4th March.—[Vol. 779, c. 98.]
§ Mr. WinnickWould my right hon. Friend not agree that the situation now facing many national daily newspapers is very serious and that some form of Government statement or inquiry is necessary? Is my right hon. Friend in a position to give any information about the future of the Sun newspaper?
§ The Prime MinisterNo, Sir. I do not think that the future of the Sun newspaper is a matter for Ministerial responsibility. As for the Press generally, there was great anxiety about its future a little over two years ago. At that time, there were many important and authoritiative surveys on Press prospects. We said at 1167 that time that if the Press had any suggestions to make to the Government, we would consider them. Quite deliberately, the Press decided to make no proposals. If the situation got worse and the Press made any suggestions, we should consider them.
Mr. Gresham-CookeAs there are 10 national daily newspapers and most of us have great difficulty in reading more than five of them, would the Prime Minister do nothing to encourage their proliferation?
§ The Prime MinisterI do not think that there was any suggestion about encouraging their proliferation. If the hon. Gentleman studies the tragic history of the closure of national newspapers, of Fleet Street, and what it means in personal terms, I am sure that he would think again before putting that supplementary question a second time.
§ Mr. RoebuckIs my right hon. Friend aware that the state of the Press requires neither further diagnosis nor prognosis? What is required is a prescription to avoid disaster. In the light of my right hon. Friend's earlier remarks, will he use his good offices to bring together all sections of the industry so that discussions can be held with a view to saving newspapers and using modern technology to start new papers, especially in the provinces?
§ The Prime MinisterSome of the problems of the Press need solving by the Press itself. I am thinking particularly in terms of greater efficiency in printing, the removal of restrictive practices, and so on. These are questions which cannot be solved by Governments or by Parliaments.
Circulations have fallen after the rise in prices. If there is the anxiety to which my hon. Friend referred, we should be prepared at any time to discuss it with the organisations that represent the Press. One proposal which I cannot think would be helpful to the future of the Press is the entirely mad proposal recently put forward for 100 local broadcasting stations to be set up, which is the suggestion of right hon. and hon. Gentlemen opposite, and which would attract all the advertising revenue away from the local Press.