Oral Answers to Questions

Steve Brine Excerpts

Thursday 8th September 2011 Commons Chamber

[Mr Vaizey]

The BBC does not always act as host broadcaster for the sports events that it covers. As I say, given that the BBC is covering the Commonwealth games, I am not sure what the issue is.

[Mr Steve Brine (Winchester) (Con)]

4. What recent progress his Department has made on implementing the recommendations of the Shott review into local television; and if he will make a statement.

[Mr David Hanson (Delyn) (Lab)]

8. What recent progress his Department has made on the development of local television.

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

Last month I announced that 65 locations in the country could be pioneer locations for a new generation of local TV services, and we will be laying three orders before Parliament before Christmas to make that happen.

[Mr Brine]

I thank the Secretary of State for his reply and for driving forward local TV with such belief; that is all credit to him. May I draw his attention to a bid for a local TV licence that is being put together in my constituency, which places the media and journalist facility at the university of Winchester and Southampton Solent university in Southampton at its heart? Does he agree that if local TV is to work this time around, and the next generation of Dimblebys is to be found, we must draw on the technical expertise within our universities and the students and what they have to offer?

[Mr Hunt]

I agree with my hon. Friend. He of course knows about this as a former journalist. Those at universities have been among the most enthusiastic people about local TV, not least at Birmingham City university, which has hosted two events on local TV in the past year. The reason is that they see this as an opportunity to found a new sector in the creative industries, which employ more than 50,000 people in the United States. That makes the opposition of the Labour party all the more extraordinary.