Public Service Broadcasting (North-East) Debate

Full Debate: Read Full Debate

Public Service Broadcasting (North-East)

James Gray Excerpts
Wednesday 23rd November 2011

(12 years, 12 months ago)

Westminster Hall
Read Full debate Read Hansard Text

Westminster Hall is an alternative Chamber for MPs to hold debates, named after the adjoining Westminster Hall.

Each debate is chaired by an MP from the Panel of Chairs, rather than the Speaker or Deputy Speaker. A Government Minister will give the final speech, and no votes may be called on the debate topic.

This information is provided by Parallel Parliament and does not comprise part of the offical record

Baroness Chapman of Darlington Portrait Mrs Jenny Chapman (Darlington) (Lab)
- Hansard - - - Excerpts

I congratulate my hon. Friend on securing the debate. In the past, I might have complained that Darlington, in the south of the north-east, did not get its fair share of attention in regional output. That can only become more of a problem if the north-east is put together with places such as Crewe, Sheffield, Hull and Lancaster. Great as they are, they have nothing at all to do with what it is like to live in the north-east.

On investigative journalism, first-class work has been done by people in the north-east. I am thinking of issues such as that involving Southern Cross. That is particularly pertinent to me because the company is based in Darlington.

James Gray Portrait Mr James Gray (in the Chair)
- Hansard - -

Order. Interventions should be brief.

Baroness Chapman of Darlington Portrait Mrs Chapman
- Hansard - - - Excerpts

With your permission, Mr Gray, I will just finish the point. I think that some of the things that were exposed thanks to the BBC would not have been exposed had we not had that superb output, content and journalism in the north-east.