§ Roger CasaleTo ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment she has made of the likely impact of the proposed Network Z radio services on existing commercial provision. [6017]
§ Dr. HowellsIn accordance with the guidelines published by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, advice was sought from the Department's legal advisers, finance advisers and economists, and others within and outside the Department, including the Office of Fair Trading. This advice, along with the BBC's810W application and information contained in the consultation responses, was taken into account by the Secretary of State in making her assessment.
§ Mr. DhandaTo ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what information the BBC furnished her, in its application to establish Network Z, about the views of(a) the BBC's legal, finance and policy advisers, (b) the Executive Committee and (c) the Board of Governors; and on what dates they were given. [6992]
§ Dr. HowellsIn its application to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport requesting approval to launch new digital services, dated 9 January 2001, the BBC confirmed that the proposals had received the approval of the BBC's legal, regulatory, and policy advisers and were approved by the Executive Committee on 5 December 2000 and by the Board of Governors on 14 December 2000. The BBC Chairman wrote to my right hon. Friend the Member for Islington, South and Finsbury (Mr. Smith) on 4 April 2001 reiterating the views of the BBC governors. This letter, together with other correspondence between the Department and the BBC, was placed in the Libraries of both Houses in July.