§ Mr. Peter AinsworthTo ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make a statement on the Government's policy towards the scheduling of news bulletins on(a) independent television channels and (b) the BBC. [136]
§ Tessa Jowell[holding answer 25 June 2001]: Under the current arrangements, the scheduling of television news bulletins on independent television channels and the BBC is the responsibility of the Independent Television Commission and the BBC Governors, respectively. We set out in the Communications White Paper—A New Future for Communications (CM 5010)—our intention to include within the proposed new regulatory structure an obligation on public service broadcasters, including the BBC, to safeguard the provision of news and current affairs in peak time.