§ Lord CULLEN of ASHBOURNEMy Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.
§ The Question was as follows:
§ To ask Her Majesty's Government when the Annan Report on Broadcasting is likely to be published.
§ The MINISTER of STATE, HOME OFFICE (Lord Harris of Greenwich)My Lords, I understand that the Committee of the noble Lord, Lord Annan, have not yet finished their deliberations, but that they hope to do so in the reasonably near future. My right honourable friend the Home Secretary intends to publish the report as soon as possible after receiving it.
§ Lord CULLEN of ASHBOURNEMy Lords, while thanking the noble Lord for that reply, may I ask whether he can give us an assurance that when this report does come out Parliament will have first sight of it, and that it will not be leaked like the Bullock Report has been?
§ Lord HARRIS of GREENWICHMy Lords, it is certainly our desire, as I indicated in the substantive Answer that I gave, to publish this as soon as possible, and I certainly hope that there will not be leakages of information.
§ Lord HARMAR-NICHOLLSMy Lords, when one is appointed to a committee of inquiry such as this, is there any undertaking about secrecy in order to avoid leakage, or is one appointed without having to give that kind of undertaking?
§ Lord HARRIS of GREENWICHMy Lords, I think that this is a reasonable group of men and women who are discharging an important function on behalf 134 of the entire country, and I am sure that we have confidence in their capacity so to do.
Lord WINSTANLEYMy Lords, in urging the Annan Committee to report with all possible speed, will the Government bear in mind that important decisions are now being taken in the BBC under a new Director-General, particularly regarding the regions, in the independent companies, and even in your Lordships' House and another place with regard to broadcasting the proceedings of Parliament, all of which may have a considerable bearing on matters contained in the Annan Committee's report? Will the Government also bear in mind that the whole question of the financing of broadcasting is now one of grave concern, and that it would be regrettable if decisions on that matter had to be taken in advance of the recommendations of the Annan Committee?
§ Lord HARRIS of GREENWICHYes, my Lords, I indicated in my Answer that we hope that the Committee will be in a position to report in the reasonably near future, and the noble Lord has identified a number of issues which it will obviously be of great importance to discuss when that report is available to us.
§ Lord LEATHERLANDMy Lords, can my noble friend tell me whether the Annan Committee will pay any attention to some of the filthy rubbish which is exhibited on television, and which is an embarrassment to many respectable families?
§ Lord HARRIS of GREENWICHMy Lords, not being a member of the Annan Committee, unhappily, I am not in a position to answer that question. But certainly I know that the Committee have received evidence from a very large number of organisations, and I should be very surprised if a number of them had not made points rather adjacent to the one made by my noble friend.