Broadcasting (Hansard, 5 December 1989)

§ Mr. Andrew Welsh
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he has received any representations from Scottish broadcasting or community organisations about quality measurements of television franchise bidders arising from his most recent proposals for reform of broadcasting.

§ Mr. Salmond
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he has received any representations from Scottish broadcasting and community organisations about quality measurement of television franchise bidders arising from his most recent proposals for reform of broadcasting.

§ Mrs. Margaret Ewing
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he has received any representations from Scottish broadcasting and community organisations about quality measurement of television franchise bidders arising from his most recent proposals for reform of broadcasting.

§ Mr. Sillars
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he has received any representations from Scottish broadcasting and community organisations about quality measurement of television franchise bidders arising from his most recent proposals for reform of broadcasting.

§ Mr. Mellor
A number of the responses to the broadcasting White Paper made by the Scottish ITV companies and by Scottish local and regional authorities have commented on the safeguards for quality contained in our proposals for allocating Channel 3 licences.

§ Mr. John Greenway
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to ensure the continuation of a regional framework for Independent Television; and if he will make a statement.

§ Mr. Mellor
As the Broadcasting White Paper made clear, the Government are committed to maintaining a regionally-structured Channel 3 (or ITV). We are proposing that there should be statutory requirements on regional Channel 3 licensees to provide regional programmes, some of which must be produced within the region, and regional news. The precise geographical structure of the Channel 3 regions will be a matter for the Independent Television Commission to determine, but the Government have noted the statement of the chairman designate of the ITC that he would see advantages in retaining the existing regions.