Ministers will not step in to save Farming Today
29 July 1997
Ministers will not step in to save Farming Today
The Government has no powers to stop the BBC moving Farming Today
from its regular early-morning radio slot of 6.10am, ministers
stressed yesterday.
The BBC is due to announce its decisions on changes to Radio 4 on
tomorrow.
Lord McIntosh of Haringey, for culture and media ministers, told the
Lords at question time: “The BBC is responsible for its own
programming on a day-to-day basis.”
The Earl of Kinnoull, Tory member and a surveyor and land agent, had pressed him to “give some hope to the 1.5 million listeners to this valuable
programme.”
The proposed change is opposed by the National Farmers Union and the
BBCs own advisory committee on rural and agricultural affairs.
Tory Baroness Gardner of Parkes wondered if the timing of the
announcement, the day before Parliament rises for its summer break,
was to avoid parliamentary debate on the issue.
Lord McIntosh replied: “Even if the BBC had being doing such a
dastardly thing, I doubt that we would have very fruitful debate on
the details of programming. Parliament isnt responsible for day-to-day decisions about programming.”
The exchanges came amid the row over reports that the BBC
is also considering scrapping or changing the long-running Yesterday
in Parliament programme.