§ Mr. FisherTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will issue guidelines on the portrayal of women in respect of direct broadcasting by satellite.
§ Mr. WaddingtonThe regulation of television services, including satellite services, is a matter for the regulatory bodies established for this purpose by Parliament, not for the Government.
The service to be provided by British Satellite Broadcasting will be regulated by the IBA under the Broadcasting Act 1981. Other satellite services currently available direct to home are regulated by the Cable Authority under the Cable and Broadcasting Act 1984, by virtue of the fact that they are also relayed by cable. Under clauses 38 to 40 of the Broadcasting Bill all satellite services originating in the United Kingdom will be licensed by the new Independent Television Commission.