Contributions
1,036 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDMedia Bill (Third sitting)My hon. Friend is absolutely right. More and more devices have screens, but they are not necessarily primarily or even occasionally used for watching television, so it would be…07 Dec 2023HANSARDMedia Bill (Third sitting)The hon. Lady makes an absolutely fair point. I hope Ofcom will look into that as it draws up the rules. Finally, on the point about voice activation, she is right that I can talk…07 Dec 2023HANSARDMedia Bill (Third sitting)This chapter of the Bill relates to Channel 4 and is perhaps a little less contentious than it originally might have been. Channel 4 is a vital part of the UK’s world-renowned…07 Dec 2023HANSARDMedia Bill (Third sitting)Perhaps I should start by saying the one thing we agree on is that Channel 4 has played a valuable role in the UK broadcasting ecology, and that we want that to continue. I do not…07 Dec 2023HANSARDMedia Bill (Third sitting)The first thing to say is that nobody is forcing Channel 4 either to acquire a production capacity or to develop its own production capacity. That will be a matter for Channel 4;…07 Dec 2023HANSARDMedia Bill (Third sitting)My hon. Friend is absolutely right. Having an in-house production facility, as, for instance, ITV and the BBC do, allows channels to potentially make programmes not just for their…07 Dec 2023HANSARDSLAPPs Taskforce Work PlanWe are pleased to inform the House that the taskforce dedicated to tackling strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs), which target journalists, is today publishing…07 Dec 2023HANSARDMedia Bill (Fourth sitting)I am grateful to Opposition Members for their general support for these clauses. The hon. Member for Arfon has taken us through the history of S4C, and he is right to say that it…07 Dec 2023HANSARDMedia Bill (Fourth sitting)I welcome the hon. Lady’s general support for what the Government are trying to do by bringing video-on-demand services within the scope of regulation. We believe it is important…07 Dec 2023HANSARDMedia Bill (Fourth sitting)My hon. Friend is right that at the moment linear TV channels are required to be licensed by Ofcom, but in the new world it is much more likely that we are going to see quite…07 Dec 2023HANSARDMedia Bill (Fourth sitting)My hon. Friend is right that there are different levels of service that require different amounts of monitoring and oversight. To my hon. Friend the Member for Warrington South, I…07 Dec 2023HANSARDMedia Bill (Fourth sitting)We now come to the core of this part of the Bill, which is the extension of regulation to the major video-on-demand services. Take-up has grown dramatically in recent years, and…07 Dec 2023HANSARDMedia Bill (Fourth sitting)I think that there is general agreement across the Committee about the importance of archiving television programmes that are of cultural significance. That is already the case,…07 Dec 2023HANSARDMedia Bill (Fourth sitting)I recall discussing this matter with the BFI some years ago and I absolutely share its wish, and indeed the hon. Lady’s wish, that it should have access to any of the programming…07 Dec 2023HANSARDMedia Bill (Fourth sitting)I give way to my hon. Friend, who is a considerable expert in the matter.07 Dec 2023HANSARDMedia Bill (Fourth sitting)As I said in my earlier remarks, we feel that the hon. Lady’s amendment in particular is unnecessary. Regarding the phrase “matters to be taken into account” by Ofcom in drawing…07 Dec 2023HANSARDMedia Bill (Fourth sitting)I absolutely share the desire of the hon. Member for Barnsley East, and I suspect all members of the Committee, to protect children and vulnerable audiences from harmful and…07 Dec 2023HANSARDMedia Bill (Fourth sitting)I am interested to hear that example. There will always be disagreement about what is suitable for children and what is not. Some parents will take a much stronger view on what is…07 Dec 2023HANSARDMedia Bill (Fourth sitting)This is a very brief return to S4C, which we debated before our lunchtime break. All clause 39 will do is amend the Communications Act to update the regulation of S4C’s…07 Dec 2023HANSARDMedia Bill (Fourth sitting)Clause 40 introduces schedule 8, which contains minor amendments to part 4A of the Communications Act 2003, covering existing legislation for video-on-demand services. The changes…07 Dec 2023