Oral question asked in the House of Commons, by Bob Blizzard (Labour). It was answered on Monday, 24 April 2006 on behalf of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

Arts Council (Jazz Funding)

Question: On 10 May, at 7 pm in the Terrace Pavilion, the all-party jazz appreciation group will host the second annual parliamentary jazz awards. Our MC is Paul Gambaccini and our music is by Liane Carroll and we thank you for your support for the event, Mr. Speaker. It is clear that the more people have the opportunity to listen to jazz, the more people like it. With that in mind, does my hon. Friend agree that it is essential to establish a new jazz radio station through Ofcom's new licensing arrangements for digital radio, especially given the sad degeneration of Jazz FM into Smooth FM?

Answer: My hon. Friend is right that Ofcom has a duty to ensure plurality of music across the digital stations. He knows that, in the end, the decision is for Ofcom. To be fair to Jazz FM, now Smooth FM, it claims that there is as much jazz on the station as before; it is simply played in the evening rather than the afternoon. I appreciate that my hon. Friend has raised the issue previously. Jazz plays an increasingly important role in our music repertoire. We have a rich heritage in this country and we can be proud of jazz, to which many of our constituents—young and old—listen.

Secondary information