§ Lord Stoddart of Swindonasked Her Majesty's Government:
How many official invitations they have received since 1 January from the British Broadcasting Corporation and other national broadcasting bodies respectively for Ministers of the Crown to be interviewed on current political topics or issues for which they were responsible; how many of these invitations were declined; and on how many occasions an official spokesperson was, or was not, offered in lieu. [HL1863]
§ The Minister for the Cabinet Office and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (Lord Macdonald of Tradeston)Individual communication directorates within departments are responsible for processing and managing invitations for ministerial interviews from the BBC, other broadcasters and the wider media. The information requested is therefore not held centrally.