§ 33. Mr. Whiteheadasked the Minister of Posts and Telecommunications if he will publish details of the contract for Greenwich Cablevision Limited, enabling it to provide experimental local relay television programmes up to 1976.
§ Sir J. EdenI have placed in the Library copies of the licences I have issued to Greenwich Cablevision Limited, which is responsible for the relay system, and to Greenwich Cablecasts Limited, which provides the programmes, enabling them jointly to provide the experimental service in Greenwich.
§ Mr. WhiteheadI seem to be welcoming all the right hon. Gentleman's statements today. Does he agree that it would be a good thing if, as a matter of routine in the future, all these experimental licences, which we welcome, were published in precisely the same way as his predecessor recommended should be the system in future for franchises under the IBA for commercial radio?
§ Sir J. EdenI do not know that I quite understand the full import of the hon. Gentleman's question. The licence agreement in question is for the first of the experimental stations, of which there are to be six in all. I do not believe it will be necessary to repeat the performance on each occasion.
§ Mr. David SteelWill the right hon. Gentleman confirm that the contracts include a requirement on the relay service to transmit ministerial and party political broadcasts simultaneously along with the national networks?
§ Sir J. EdenNo, Sir. This is a limited local programme experiment.
§ Mr. Gregor MackenzieIn view of the growth of this type of cable service, does the right hon. Gentleman consider it to be a suitable subject for inquiry by a broadcasting commission?
§ Sir J. EdenNo, Sir. This is an experiment which has already been launched. It will proceed until 1976, and I am sure it is right that we should see the outcome of the experiment.