§ Mr. Viggersasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how, and at what time, the Annan Report is to be published.
§ Mr. Merlyn ReesThe report was presented to Parliament yesterday and is published today.
§ Mr. Arthur Lewisasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will cause an investigation to be made to ascertain how the Observer newspaper was able to publish a complete report of the Annan Committee of Inquiry into Radio and Television before the Committee had officially printed and presented its report to him and Parliament.
§ Mr. Merlyn ReesI am making urgent preliminary inquiries with a view to seeing whether a fuller investigation is called for.
§ Mr. Viggersasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what briefings to the Press have been given on the subject of the Annan Report;
(2) what briefings are intended to be given to the Press prior to the publication of the Annan Report.
§ Mr. Merlyn ReesNone.
§ Mr. Viggersasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many copies of the Annan Report will be made available to members of the Press prior to the official time of publication; and to whom.
§ Mr. Merlyn ReesThe usual arrangements for the publication of an important Command Paper have been followed in respect of the Report of the Committee on the Future of Broadcasting.
§ Mr. Grocottasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement about the report 608W of the Committee on the Future of Broadcasting.
§ Mr. Merlyn ReesThe Report of the Committee on the Future of Broadcasting was presented to the House yesterday afternoon, and was published at 9.30 a.m. this morning (Cmnd. 6753).
The committee identifies three main objectives for the future: first, to preserve broadcasting in this country as a public service accountable to the public through Parliament; second, to devise a new structure for broadcasting so that it can evolve over the next 15 years; and third, to keep the editorial independence of the broadcasting organisations free from control by political pressure groups and vested interests. The Government accept these objectives, and further consideration of the recommendations in the report will be within the framework provided by them.
The committee recommends that there should be four broadcasting authorities—that is two broadcasting authorities in addition to the BBC and the IBA. The BBC would continue to be the main national instrument of broadcasting in the United Kingdom, though it would no longer be responsible for local radio. The IBA—which would be renamed the "Regional Television Authority"—would henceforth be responsible for a regional television service, which would, however, include networked programmes; it, too, would cease to be responsible for local radio. The responsibility for local radio, and for other essentially local broadcasting services, would be vested in a new body which the committee calls the "Local Broadcasting Authority". The committee also recommends that when the national economy permits the kind of service it has in mind, the fourth television channel should be allocated to another new organisation which it calls the "Open Broadcasting Authority" which would provide a variety of programmes, including educational programmes; the principal rôle of this new body would be that of "publisher of other organisations' programmes".
As respect the fourth channel in Wales, the committee recommends that Welsh language broadcasting should commence as soon as the Government can find the necessary finance, and that, 609W pending the establishment of the Open Broadcasting Authority, it should be operated jointly by the BBC and IBA.
The committee rejects the idea that a commission or council should be set up over the broadcasting authorities, but suggests means by which the public can voice its opinions on broadcasting, including the establishment of a "Public Enquiry Board for Broadcasting" which would from time to time conduct public inquiries into the performance of each broadcasting authority. There would also be a new "Broadcasting Complaints Commission" which would consider complaints against any of the broadcasting authorities by people who believe they have been treated unjustly or unfairly in programmes.
When I announced at the end of last month that I had received the committee's report I indicated my intention to arrange full consultations on it.—[Vol. 927, c. 18.] My officials are today writing to all the individuals and bodies who gave evidence to the committee to invite them to submit their comments on the report, and I take this opportunity to extend the same invitation to anyone else, inside and outside Parliament, who may wish to put forward views. In order that these comments can be fully considered and the necessary legislation prepared in good time, they should be submitted by 1st July of this year.
I have already placed on record my thanks to the noble Lord, Lord Annan, and to the members of the committee for the immense amount of work they have done, for the speed with which they have done it, and for the invaluable public service they have rendered.—[Vol. 927, c. 18.] I now repeat these thinks, and I know that I shall be joined by right hon. and hon. Members on both sides of the House. What is now essential is that there should be a full debate, not just in this House but also in the country, on the important issues raised in the report. These are matters upon which the broadcasting authorities themselves will have views and comments which should be contributed to the debate, and I hope that they will be able to find ways, within the constraints placed upon them by statute, or, in the case of the BBC, by the Licence and Agreement, of making their contributions to the discussion.