Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions he has had with television companies on the risk to participants' mental wellbeing of participating in tv reality shows.

The Secretary of State has been clear that all broadcasters and production companies have a responsibility to the mental health and wellbeing of both participants and viewers and must ensure that they have appropriate levels of support in place. The Secretary of State has recently met with ITV on this subject.

Ofcom, as the independent broadcast regulator, is reviewing whether more can be done to safeguard the people taking part in reality and factual shows. The Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee has opened an inquiry into the duty of care that makers of reality TV shows have to participants and the Government will consider its findings.