HL Deb 11 July 1988 vol 499 c595

2.57 p.m.

Lord Gainford asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether the proposed radio authority would have any sanctions at its disposal.

The Earl of Arran

Yes, my Lords. We propose that the radio authority should have a range of sanctions, including power to issue warnings, suspend a station's licence and, for serious or persistent abuse, withdraw a licence altogether.

Lord Gainford

My Lords, I thank the noble Earl for that Answer. What information can he give the House about safeguards for listeners?

The Earl of Arran

My Lords, all stations will have to keep to a promise of performance. For example, they will not be allowed to broadcast material which incites crime, offends against good taste and decency or uses the station as a political platform. Apart from those basic consumer protection principles, we want stations to be freer to develop different and varied formats.

Baroness Birk

My Lords, since the Broadcasting Research Unit found in its recent research for the Home Office that there is as great a demand for speech on radio as there is for music, perhaps the Minister can say how the new radio authority will ensure that there are sufficient stations providing programmes with regular national news and local news and information, as well as music programmes which are much cheaper and therefore very tempting to produce.

The Earl of Arran

My Lords, it will be up to the consortium who apply to the radio authority to prove to it that they will be able to provide good, varied and diverse programmes to listeners. It is to be hoped that they will interest all types of potential listeners.