Charges For Television Schedule Information

EDM number 315 in 1990-91, proposed by Alan Meale on 21/01/1991.

That this House views with serious concern the charges which Independent Television Publications Limited intends to impose on small local newspapers for the right to publish details of television programmes; believes that Parliament was not aware, when passing the Broadcasting Act, that programme schedules previously supplied by both ITP and the BBC free of charge would now be supplied only on payment of such exorbitant fees as ú56,000 per annum from such small group newspapers as the Rochdale Observer; considers such charges to be unreasonable; and calls on Her Majesty's Government to examine this matter, and in particular whether Reed International, a dominant company in the newspaper industry, should be allowed to acquire ITP Limited, and whether charges now being imposed on small local newspapers will also be imposed on newspapers owned by Reed International plc.

This motion has been signed by a total of 30 MPs.