§ 3.13 p.m.
§ Lord BOSTON of FAVERSHAMMy 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 it is now expected that the White 606 Paper on the future of broadcasting will be published.
§ The MINISTER of STATE, HOME OFFICE (Lord Harris of Greenwich)My Lords, the White Paper will be published when the Government have completed their consideration of the Report of the Committee on the Future of Broadcasting, under the chairmanship of the noble Lord, Lord Annan, and of the many comments we have received on it.
§ Lord BOSTON of FAVERSHAMMy Lords, can my noble friend say whether, when the White Paper is published, it will contain long-term decisions on the major recommendations made by the Annan Committee, or whether it is more likely to be an interim document and in the nature of a holding operation, dealing only, or mainly, with extensions of the BBC charter and the IBA Act?
§ Lord HARRIS of GREENWICHMy Lords, I would obviously prefer to give an indication of what is in the White Paper when the Government have decided on its contents. But, inevitably, I think that some of the longer term issues raised in the report of the noble Lord, Lord Annan, will be dealt with in the White Paper.
§ Lord TAYLOR of GRYFEMy Lords, in asking a supplementary question, I should like to declare an interest as a director of a television company. I should like to ask whether, in view of the inevitable delay in dealing with the big issues that are involved in the revised arrangements, there could be any advice immediately on some of the agreed recommendations of the Annan Committee, such as the avoidance of duplication in featuring major sporting events. I gather that we are now heading for three weeks of World Cup football every night for four hours, and something might be saved by the BBC if there was some preparedness to co-operate in avoiding such duplication.
§ Lord HARRIS of GREENWICHYes, my Lords, I am well aware of this point, which has been raised on a number of occasions. I think that this is really a matter for the broadcasters themselves— 607 the IBA and the BBC—to settle. I do not think that it is a matter for the Government.
§ Lord FERRIERMy Lords, will the noble Lord agree that, in any case, any decision on what is to be done in respect of the White Paper or the Annan Committee Report must await a debate in Parliament?
§ Lord HARRIS of GREENWICHIndeed, my Lords. It would be our intention, of course, once the White Paper had been published, to have debates in Parliament. I do not think that it would be right to make decisions before the White Paper had been published.
§ The Earl of ONSLOWMy Lords, if it is within the purlieus of editorial decision not to duplicate sporting events on television, can the noble Lord possibly give an undertaking on something which is within the purlieus of politicians? For heaven's sake!, can we not have Party political broadcasts on every channel at exactly the same time, as they are much less interesting than the World Cup?
§ Lord HARRIS of GREENWICHMy Lords, I am quite sure that all of the politicians hearing the noble Earl have listened with care to what he said.
§ Lord TREFGARNEMy Lords, can the noble Lord say whether the time allowed for representations and views on the Annan Report is yet closed, or whether it is possible still to submit views?
§ Lord HARRIS of GREENWICHMy Lords, the period in which we invited people to make comments has, in fact, closed. But if anybody wished to make representations even now, we should be glad to consider them.
§ Lord BOSTON of FAVERSHAMMy Lords, accepting my noble friend's difficulty about saying what is likely to be in the White Paper, may I ask him about something which will, perhaps, be left out of the White Paper? Does the admirable decision by Her Majesty's Government, to allow the BBC to go ahead last week and launch its imaginative BBC Radio Taunton station, mean that She Government have decided to reject 608 the recommendation of the Annan Committee to set up a local broadcasting authority, and to take away local radio from the BBC and the IBA, a rejection which some of us would wholeheartedly support?
§ Lord HARRIS of GREENWICHMy Lords, I think that the question that has just been asked has answered the previous question by Lord Trefgarne; namely, that the period for representations is obviously still open. The fact is that the question of the future of local broadcasting is an important matter, but it will be dealt with in the White Paper, and will not be dealt with until it is published.