§ Lord Melchettasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will ask the Nature Conservancy Council (NCC) to draw the British Broadcasting Corporation's attention to the damage likely to be done to bats in this country if they are portrayed as harmful to human beings, as they were in a recent episode of "Doctor Who" on BBCI, particularly as all species of British bats are beneficial to human beings, and are now known to be drastically declining in numbers, with some species in serious danger of extinction; and whether they will ensure that the NCC makes every effort to publicise the proposed provision in the Government's forthcoming Wildlife and Countryside Bill that would give protection to all British bats, enlisting the support of the BBC in this effort.
§ The Earl of AvonI am sure that we can leave the question of the public image of bats to the NCC. Once the Wildlife and Countryside Bill is enacted, every effort will be made to ensure that its provisions are appropriately publicised by the media, including the BBC.