Channel 4: Annual Report Debate
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Baroness Featherstone
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Channel 4: Annual Report
Baroness Featherstone Excerpts(1 year, 9 months ago)
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Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay (Con)
My Lords, the Government do not own the BBC. It is set up in a particular way to make it a state broadcaster, not a government broadcaster. We benefit from having a range of different channels with different ownership models. We are focused on making sure that Channel 4 can continue to thrive in the market, which is fast evolving.
Baroness Featherstone (LD)
My understanding of the public consultation was that 96% of respondents wanted Channel 4 to remain as it is. So why are the Minister and the Government not listening to people?
Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay (Con)
My Lords, we had a referendum and the noble Baroness’s party did not listen to the latter. We received 56,000 responses to the consultation, 40,000 of which were organised by the campaign group 38 Degrees, which is perfectly entitled to make its views known. We looked at all the consultation responses, but the Government have set out their thinking and their rationale for safeguarding the future of Channel 4.