§ Mr. Fabian HamiltonTo ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) if he intends to reappoint the current Chairman of the Radio Authority; and if he will make a statement; [68807]
(2) if he will make it his policy to require the Radio Authority to publish its minutes of proceedings; [68809]
544W(3) what assessment he has made of the accountability procedures (a) within the Radio Authority and (b) between the Radio Authority and his Department. [68808]
§ Janet AndersonThe current appointment of the Radio Authority Chairman expires on 31 December 1999. An announcement will be made in due course on the Chairmanship from 1 January 2000.
The Radio Authority is a statutory public corporation independent of Government and is responsible for interpreting its statutory duties under the Broadcasting Acts 1990 and 1996. Radio Authority members are bound by the Authority's detailed code of best practice, a copy of which is in the Libraries of the House. My Department has no supervisory role in its day-to-day activities and has no locus to direct the Authority to make public details of its proceedings. However, I welcome the recent publication by the Authority of details of its licensing award procedures for commercial radio.