Local Digital Television Programme Services Order 2012

Debate between Lord Clement-Jones and Baroness Bonham-Carter of Yarnbury

Monday 6th February 2012 Grand Committee

[Baroness Bonham-Carter of Yarnbury]

My Lords, I, too, thank my noble friend for her presentation. The provision of local news is very important, and we support steps being taken to promote the local democratic process through greater access to information, but there are a few areas of concern which it would be helpful if my noble friend could clarify.

It is clear that local television stations, as commercial enterprises completely unsubsidised by government, will be very much dependent on advertising revenue. Can my noble friend tell us what is being done to promote local television to advertisers? It is also clear that the key motivation for advertisers will be the audience viewing figures, but, at present, there is no trusted audience measurement system proposed, as I understand it. It would be helpful to know whether there are any plans for the creation of a local audience measurement system.

As the noble Baroness, Lady Jones, mentioned, many are concerned that any local television advertising revenues which are realised will come from cannibalising existing local providers operating in radio and print. Although we recognise the importance and potential benefits of local TV services, they must not come at the cost of other forms of local media.

Finally, the department has said that £25 million of local TV infrastructure costs will be met from the BBC licence fee, with a further £5 million of licence-fee money to be spent annually for three years on local content. Can the Minister offer any insights as to what will happen after those three years? How can the Government ensure that taxpayers will not continue to fund these stations if they are unable to earn sufficient advertising revenue? Does the noble Baroness agree that BBC local radio must also be protected, and does she support the chairman of the BBC Trust’s recent direction to the executive that cuts to BBC local services should be reassessed? Have any discussions taken place with the BBC to encourage it to share its skills and knowledge with local television services as they are set up? Given that the BBC as an organisation holds a wealth of creative and technical talent that uniquely is spread across the country, it would seem sensible for such a resource to be shared, where possible.

[Lord Clement-Jones]

My Lords, I entirely agree with everything that my noble friend Lady Bonham-Carter has said, and perhaps I may ask the Minister a quick question about detail. Will local television be entitled to an average of nine or seven minutes’ advertising an hour?