24
S.C. 128\02
Section 10 of the British Act gives the Secretary of State or, for that
matter, any other Minister of the Crown power and control over broadcast content of
licensed private broadcasters. It reads:-
“10.(1) If it appears to him to be necessary or expedient to do so in connection
with his functions as such, the Secretary of State or any other Minister
of the Crown may at any time by notice require the Commission to
direct the holders of any licences specified in the notice to publish in
their licensed services, at such times as may be specified in the notice,
such announcement as is so specified, with or without visual images of
any picture, scene or object mentioned in the announcement; and it
shall be the duty of the Commission to comply with the notice.
(2)
Where the holder of a licence publishes any announcement in
pursuance of a direction under subsection (1), he may announce that he
is doing so in pursuance of such a direction.
(3)
The Secretary of State may at any time by notice require the
Commission to direct the holders of any licence specified in the notice
to refrain from including in the programmes included in their licensed
services any matter or classes of matter specified in the notice; and it
shall be the duty of the Commission to comply with the notice.
(4)
Where the Commission –
(a)
have given the holder of any licence a direction in accordance
with a notice under subsection (3), or
(b)
in consequence of the revocation by the Secretary of State of
such notice, have revoked such a direction, or where such a
notice has expired, the holder of the licence in question may
publish in the licensed service an announcement of the giving
or revocation of the direction or of the expiration of the notice,
as the case may be.
(5)
The powers conferred by this section are in addition to any power
specifically conferred on the Secretary of State by any other provision
of this Act.
(6)
In relation to any licensed service provided from a place in Northern
Ireland, the reference in subsection (1) to a Minister of the Crown
includes a reference to the head of any Northern Ireland department.”
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