Clause 10 - Function of promoting media literacy
Communications Bill
3:30 pm
Dr Kim Howells (Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Department for Culture, Media & Sport; Pontypridd, Labour)
I thought that this would be a short debate, but it has turned into a long one—and very refreshing it is too.
The hon. Member for Maldon and East Chelmsford spoke about the need for parents to understand what locking devices were available. However, it usually only took my kids about half an hour to work out how to unlock things, so I have to admit that after a while I gave up. My kids turned out to be all right, actually.
The hon. Member for Lichfield came up with an interesting suggestion, as usual. I am the only one in our house now who has to use the Sky zapper to get back to the main menu to find my way around the system. Every one else knows the numbers and they knock them out. [Interruption.] I do not know what my hon. Friend the Member for Rhondda (Mr. Bryant) said, but we had a discussion earlier in the week about better design. Locking elements could be incorporated into design, perhaps not on the surface of the device but in easily accessible software.
In response to the questions asked by the hon. Member for Ceredigion, I would certainly expect Ofcom to look for partners to work with. Some interesting projects are going on at the moment. The hon. Member for Sheffield, Hallam told us about the need for a pro-active approach, to make people aware of the possibilities that already exist.
I have an access radio station on my own patch—GTFM. It is in one of the poorest wards in my constituency and shares its administration with the university on the other side of the valley. It is fascinating to see the different ways in which those two communities have accessed the opportunity and, at the same time, linked up with the rest of that part of the valley. It has been an instructive experience. People
have learned much. They have learned that they have a voice, which they might previously have assumed was denied to them.
Some hon. Members asked whether there would be an iron fist approach to the issue, whether the boundaries to media literacy would be strictly determined and how such matters ought to be dealt with. I reassure the Committee that that is not the intention behind the relevant provision. Media literacy, by its very nature, must grow, expand and change with the various media that we use.
An important point was made at the end of the debate: we must be aware of, understand and learn about the interoperability and shading between the different media. Our use of personal computers and of the internet is part of that process. I am sure that hon. Members will agree with me that great work is being done by many of the outreach institutions of colleges, universities, and especially further education colleges, in helping people to get the degree of computer literacy that they need just to get started.
This is an important step forward and I am glad to hear that there is general agreement in the Committee that it should be taken forward.
Question put and agreed to.
Clause 10 ordered to stand part of the Bill.