§ Mr. Arthur Lewisasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department why he will not, before granting his authority to the BBC to increase the cost of television licences, insist that they should not in the future as in the past incur expenditure such as spending £40 on taxis from London to the North of England to obtain spiders when such spiders can be obtained in London, without wasting the licence money as is now admitted by the BBC.
§ Mr. Merlyn ReesIn determining the level of the television licence fees I consider the general financial needs of the BBC without interfering in its day-to-day management.