Leveson Inquiry

Debate between Jeremy Hunt and Paul Farrelly

Wednesday 25th April 2012 Commons Chamber

[Mr Hunt]

In 13 years, there were two Information Commissioner reports, one Select Committee report and two people were sent to prison, yet the Labour party did absolutely nothing. That is why it is totally inappropriate for Labour to be suggesting that this is somehow a Government problem. It is an issue that affects the whole political process, which is why we need to be working together to sort it out.

[Paul Farrelly (Newcastle-under-Lyme) (Lab)]

The Secretary of State will appreciate that one of the main concerns about the fallout from the phone hacking affair is how widely News International’s tentacles reached into the police and into government. BSkyB launched its bid in June 2010 and Andy Coulson resigned in January 2011, so, irrespective of when the Secretary of State took responsibility for the bid, will he tell the House whether Mr Coulson had any communications with him or with DCMS advisers, in any shape or form, about News Corp’s interest in BSkyB while Mr Coulson was still the Prime Minister’s official spokesman?

[Mr Hunt]

I had no communication or consultation with Mr Coulson about this bid when I was responsible for it.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Jeremy Hunt and Paul Farrelly

Monday 26th July 2010 Commons Chamber

[Paul Farrelly (Newcastle-under-Lyme) (Lab)]

1. What representations he has received on broadcasting rules on political impartiality in television news.

[The Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport (Mr Jeremy Hunt)]

Absolutely none.

[Paul Farrelly]

I thank the Secretary of State for that precise and illuminating reply. He will know that the British public value the political neutrality of TV news in this country, so will he confirm that the Government have no plans to change the rules governing political impartiality on TV news, and that they will expect broadcasters on digital terrestrial television to conform to those rules in the future?

[Mr Hunt]

I can confirm that we have no plans to change the impartiality rules, but we will take no lessons on impartiality from the Opposition. There are two people responsible for impartiality in British broadcasting: the head of Ofcom and the head of the BBC Trust. One is a former Labour councillor and the other is a former Labour special adviser.