§ Mr. BakerTo ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will make a statement on his policy in respect of the scheduling of news programmes on BBC1 and ITV. [134617]
§ Janet AndersonIt is not the role of Government to intervene in detailed issues of programme content and scheduling. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has, however, expressed his misgivings about the rescheduling of evening news services. Television is a vital source of information in our democratic society and it is important that the overall audience for television news and the quality of the service provided is not diminished.
§ Mr. Peter AinsworthTo ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions he has had with the BBC regarding the scheduling of the BBC One evening news; and if he will make a statement. [134605]
§ Janet AndersonWhen my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State met the Chairman and Director-General of the BBC on 6 October to discuss a range of topics, he expressed misgivings about the BBC's decision to reschedule its evening news.