Dr. John CunninghamTo ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what proposals she has for increasing the powers of(a) Broadcasting Standards Council and (b) the Independent Television Commission in relation to violence on television. [8928]
§ Mrs. Virginia Bottomley[13 December 1996]: The BSC and the ITC will be revising their codes relating to violence and other programming issues in 1997. Their existing statutory powers are sufficient to ensure that those revised codes are complied with.
Dr. CunninghamTo ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what evidence her Department has recently evaluated on the amount of violence on television. [8930]
§ Mrs. Bottomley[holding answer 13 December 1996]: The BBC, ITC and BSC recently provided me with wide-ranging reports on violence on television and action taken to protect vulnerable viewers. The main source of 443W evidence provided on the amount of violence on television was a study by Sheffield university, funded by the ITC, the BSC, the BBC and other broadcasters, which suggests that the amount of violence on terrestrial television has fallen in recent years. We shortly expect further results from that study, taking in a wider range of channels.
Dr. CunninghamTo ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what proposals she has for introducing legislation to reduce the amount of violence on television. [8929]
§ Mrs. Bottomley[holding answer 13 December 1996]: Existing legislation, recently extended to new digital services by the Broadcasting Act 1996, sets a framework within which broadcasters and their regulators are responsible for the content and scheduling of programmes. There is no need to amend that legislation framework. I have recently agreed with the chairmen of the BBC, ITC and BSC a co-ordinated programme of action to meet public concern about levels of violence of television.