HC Deb 06 March 2001 vol 364 cc204-5W
Mr. Baker

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment he has made of the level of audio-description services available to blind people with television sets. [151849]

Janet Anderson

The Broadcasting Act 1996 sets a 10 per cent. target for audio description to be reached by the 10th anniversary of the start of the digital terrestrial television (DTT) service. The Independent Television Commission (ITC) has set an interim target for at least 2 per cent. of programmes on DTT to be audio described by the start of the second year of the service. The BBC's policy is to at least match these targets. I understand from the ITC that the 2 per cent. target has been met, except by those channels which have been granted special exemption.