Lord Blunkett
Main Page: Lord Blunkett (Labour - Life peer)
Lord Ashton of Hyde
My Lords, it is all about editorial policy, and the director is in charge. One person’s mumbling is another person’s atmosphere.
Lord Blunkett (Lab)
My Lords, atmosphere is fine if you can lip-read but when you cannot, the mumbling which is indecipherable to most people becomes not just an irritant but an impossibility. I hope the Government will lean on the new regulator, Ofcom, to bring a bit of common sense so that when somebody whispers to you, it is expected that you will hear the whisper, and when someone talks to you on television, it is hoped that eventually you will be able to hear them.
Lord Ashton of Hyde
I did not quite catch the last bit of that question. Of course, Ofcom’s Code on Television Access Services sets out the obligations on TV broadcasters to provide subtitling and audio description and signing, and my noble friend Lord Borwick’s amendment has given the Government the power to introduce that for on-demand services as well.