§ Mr. FisherTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, further to his White Paper, "Broadcasting in the 1990s," whether he will specify the criteria which will be used in assessing the diversity of programming.
§ Mr. RentonThe positive programming requirements will be spelt out in general terms in legislation, and it would be for the new Independent Television Commission to decide precisely how to apply them in practice.
§ Mr. FisherTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many items of news reporting and current affairs which were broadcast on(a) BBC 1, (b) BBC 2, (e) ITV, (d) Channel 4, (e) independent local radio, (f) BBC Radio 1, 2, 3 or 4 and (g) BBC local radio have been affected by the order on restrictions on reporting from Northern Ireland.
§ Mr. Tim RentonMy right hon. Friend has given general directions to the BBC and the IBA requiring them to refrain from broadcasting direct statements by Northern Ireland terrorist organisations and their apologists. It is now for the BBC and the IBA to apply those directions. They are not, of course, required to make returns to my right hon. Friend about the effect of the directions. In any case, the directions do not prevent the second-hand reporting of events, only the coverage of direct broadcast statements.