§ Mr. Wrigglesworthasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) if he will seek urgently to meet the independent directors of Times Newspapers to discuss the fact that the conditions attached by Ministers in 1981 regarding the ownership of The Times have not been fulfilled;
(2) if he is satisfied that Her Majesty's Government were not misled before giving consent to the takeover of Times Newspapers by Mr. Rupert Murdoch; and if he will make a statement;
(3) if he will meet Mr. Harold Evans to discuss matters relating to the takeover of Times Newspapers.
§ Mr. TebbitIn his reply to the right hon. Member for Manchester, Wythenshawe (Mr. Morris) yesterday my right hon. Friend the Lord Privy Seal made a statement in connection with Mr. Harold Evans' recent book "Good Times, Bad Times." He set out the information available to him at the time of the takeover of Times Newspapers Ltd. in 1981. I have nothing to add to his statement.
My right hon. Friend made his consent to transfer of Times Newspapers Ltd. conditional upon the articles of the company being altered to provide for the appointment of independent national directors and for their consent to be obtained to any future disposal of any interest in the newspapers. As to the company's adherence to those provisions of its articles relating to ownership of the newspapers, on 18 February 1982—[Vol. 18, c. 173.]—my right hon. Friend answered questions concerning a purported transfer of the titles to the newspapers from the company to its parent News International Ltd. I see no reason for a meeting with the independent national directors in that regard.
Following Mr. Evans' resignation as editor of The Times my right hon. Friend also told the House on 29 March 1982 that he did not consider that any of the conditions relating to editorial independence had been broken.—[Vol. 21, c. 3.] Although Mr. Evans' book claims to recall these events in some detail, I have no plans to meet Mr. Evans.