Television Copyright

HC Deb 21 July 1977 vol 935 cc653-5W

Mrs. Dunwoody

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make representations to the Dutch Government concerning Her Majesty's Government's views on copyright, in view of the actions of a Dutch cable television company in retransmitting programmes from Anglia Departments of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office under the supervision of an Assistant Under-Secretary. The annual cost of their salaries is £276,354.

Mr. Cowans

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether pre-retirement courses are available to employees of his Department.

Mr. Tomlinson

Yes.

Mr. Grocott

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will publish a table showing how many members of his Department have received honours for public service in each of the last five years, indicating in each case the honour received and the grade of civil servant who received it.

Mr. Tomlinson

The following is a table showing awards to Foreign and Commonwealth Office Staff and members of the Diplomatic Service on the Diplomatic Service and Overseas List and the Prime Minister's List over the five years 1973–77:

Television Company to Amsterdam householders.

Mr. Luard

No. The subject of wire diffusion of foreign television broadcasts in Europe is a complex matter involving various international copyright agreements as well as our domestic copyright and performers protection laws and requires further discussion on an international basis.

I understand from my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade, that his Department has taken a leading part in meetings of a Council of Europe Committee dealing with this subject, that the United Kingdom's views were put before a joint working party set up by the Executive Committee of the Berne Copy-right Union and UNESCO which examined the subject last month, and that the Department of Trade intends to participate fully in the work of an Inter-governmental Committee of Experts which is expected to be set up in the near future. In these circumstances it would not be productive to make representations to an individual country.

Meanwhile the owners of copyright in literary and artistic works, including cinematographic films, are entitled to exercise their rights and claim remuneration for the wire diffusion of their works in accordance with Article II bis of the Berne Copyright Convention by which both the United Kingdom and the Netherlands are bound.