HC Deb 10 December 1952 vol 509 cc61-3W
60. Mr. Ness Edwards

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General why the public interest is not represented on the Television Advisory Committee.

Mr. Gammans

The public interest is well represented on the Committee. The Chairman has had a long and distin- guished public career, and three of the members are public servants. There are also three independent members chosen for their wide general experience. The remaining members are drawn from the radio industry and the B.B.C., both of which have an essential contribution to make to the Committee's deliberations.

61. Mr. Ness Edwards

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General how many of the members of the Television Advisory Committee are directly or indirectly financially interested in commercial television.

63 and 64. Mr. R. E. Winterbottom

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General (1) why he appointed out of the nine members of the Television Advisory Committee a person or persons who have a direct or indirect financial interest in commercial television;

(2) if he was aware of the financial interest in commercial television of one member of the Television Advisory Committee before appointing him to that committee.

67. Mr. West

asked the Assistant Post-master-General how many members of the Television Advisory Committee have direct or indirect financial interest in commercial television.

Mr. Gammans

The broad grounds for selection of members of the Television Advisory Committee were given by my noble Friend in his statement of the 29th October in another place. No member of the Committee was appointed as representing commercial television interests though I understand that one representative of the radio industry has a direct interest in commercial television. Indirect interest might possibly arise in the case of the other representative of the industry and even perhaps in the case of the B.B.C. representative.

62. Mr. Ness Edwards

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General whether the director of the commercial television company which has applied for a commercial television licence will continue to sit upon the Television Advisory Committee, which advises the Postmaster-General upon the granting of such licences.

Mr. Gammons

The hon. Gentleman is under a misapprehension. I would refer him to paragraph 9 of Command Paper 8550.

65. Mr. West

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General if he will make known to this House the advice tendered to the Postmaster-General by the Television Advisory Committee on commercial television.

Mr. Gammans

The Television Advisory Committee primarily advises my noble Friend on technical matters, but he will be ready to consider this suggestion in due course. I would remind the hon. Member of the undertaking given in paragraph 8 and the provisions of paragraph 9 of Command 8550.

71. Mr. G. Jeger

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General whether any member of the Television Advisory Committee is representative of theatrical interests.

Mr. Gammans

No. I would refer the hon. Member to my reply of the 30th October, 1952, to my hon. and gallant Friend the Member for Knutsford (Lieut.-Colonel Bromley-Davenport).