Mr. RobertsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will make a statement on his policy on standards in radio broadcasting. [96605]
§ Janet AndersonResponsibility for the content of radio services rests with the BBC and the independent broadcasters. The BBC operates within the terms of its Charter and Agreement and undertakes to provide services which are of high general standards in all respects. Independent radio services are licensed and regulated by the Radio Authority under the Broadcasting Acts 1990 and 1996. The Authority is under a general duty to facilitate the provision of licensed services which (taken as a whole) are of high quality and offer a wide range of programmes calculated to appeal to a variety of tastes and interests.
The Broadcasting Standards Commission is responsible under the Broadcasting Act 1996 for producing codes of practice relating to standards and fairness in programmes, considering and adjudicating on complaints and monitoring, researching and reporting on standards and fairness in broadcasting. The BBC and Radio Authority are required, when drawing up or revising their own codes relating to principles and practice, to reflect the general effect of the Broadcasting Standards Commission's codes.