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

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if she will postpone the Fox takeover of Sky until the second half of the Leveson Inquiry has been completed.

As set out in previous statements to the House, the Secretary of State's quasi-judicial responsibilities in relation to the proposed acquisition of Sky by 21st Century Fox will be discharged, robustly and transparently. Such decisions must also be taken as promptly as is reasonably practicable.

On 29 June the Secretary of State announced that she is minded-to refer the merger to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) on media plurality grounds. In coming to a final decision, consideration will be given to the available evidence before her including any further representations received following the call for evidence which closed on 14 July.