§ 23. Chris Bryant(Lab) (Rhondda)If he will make a statement on reforming party election broadcasts. [151915]
§ Mr. Peter Viggers (Gosport)The Electoral Commission published recommendations for the reform of party election broadcasts in January 2003, following a formal review of party political broadcasting arrangements, and submitted them to the Lord Chancellor and the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport. The commission supported the continued role of party election broadcasts in the democratic process, but made a number of detailed recommendations for changes to the legislation and practice regarding the allocation of broadcasts to political parties.
§ Chris BryantDoes the hon. Gentleman agree that free party political broadcasts, which have been a tradition in this country for many decades, are an essential part of British democracy? The system, however, is now ripe for reform, to allow, for instance, shorter, pithier party political broadcasts, especially on all digital channels, not just on some, as is the case at present. Has he had an opportunity to see the submission of the Conservative party, which, alone among all the parties, it has kept secret until now?
§ Mr. ViggersI have not been involved in discussions with the Conservative party. The main recommendations of the Electoral Commission were that the ban on paid advertising should be retained and that there should be a statutory duty to determine rules that would govern party political broadcasts, which are not currently on a statutory basis. As to the specific point made by the hon. Gentleman, he has on other occasions recommended that party political broadcasts should be shortened to as little as 30 seconds. The view of the Electoral Commission is that it would be better if 530 broadcasts were shortened to not less than 90 seconds, thereby clearly distinguishing them from ordinary commercials.
§ Mr. Andrew Mackay(Con) (Bracknell)Would it not be in the public interest to scrap all these party political broadcasts, which would have the added benefit of avoiding the electricity power surge when everyone goes out to the kitchen to put the kettle on?
§ Mr. ViggersThe Electoral Commission formed the view that the broadcasts should be continued. There is a technical point, in that human rights legislation might bite and require us to have paid advertising if we were not to have party political broadcasts.