§ Mr. GaleTo ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans she has to monitor the award of the new independent television news contract and to ensure continued plurality of news sources. [5462]
§ Dr. HowellsThe award of the new news provider contract for Channel 3 is not a matter for Government. ITV will make the decision to award the contract to one of the two companies that have been awarded nominated news provider status by the Independent Television Commission. It is the responsibility of the ITC to ensure that only companies meeting the required standard are granted such status. This system ensures that ITV has a provider of high quality national and international news that can offer competition to the BBC's national news services and in turn guarantees plurality for viewers.