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Digital Economy Bill [HL]

As I have indicated, the trouble with the amendment is that it restricts it to television. I ask that the amendment be withdrawn for what I hope is the very straightforward case I have put to the House: we need to sustain news presentation on other media than television. As far as newspapers are concerned, the funding would be provided to consortia for local and regional news, which might well include regional newspapers. The consortia would replace existing TV and online news. However, this is not about subsidising newspapers. It is about securing plurality of news syndication so that the values and principles obtaining to television broadcast news are sustained in local and regional news. Against the present background, we see their outlets, support and finances greatly reduced, if not almost collapsed, and it is quite clear that some support is necessary. I am not going to get into a debate about whether one newspaper is going to be subsidised against another—that would be an absurd proposition to put forward in terms of how these resources are distributed. There would be significant consortia undertaking to provide news services of a regional and local category, and they would have to meet the criteria which underpin the legislation.