§ 25. Mr. MullinTo ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what requirement he has placed on commercial television companies to broadcast British-made programmes; if this requirement applies to BSkyB; and if he will make a statement.
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§ Mr. BrookeUnder the Broadcasting Act 1990, Channel 3 licence holders are required to broadcast regional programmes, of which a suitable proportion should be made within the area. No such requirement applies to BSkyB. But under the EC Television Without Frontiers Directive, all United Kingdom broadcasters, where practicable, have to reserve a majority of their transmission time, subject to certain exclusions, for European works.