BBC White Paper

Peter Brooke, Heritage Secretary, has announced to Parliament this afternoon that the BBC is to be given a new royal charter, to last for ten years. The licence fee will continue to fund the BBC until 2001, when there will be a review of funding, in the light of technological and other changes.

The BBC is to be encouraged to diversify into multimedia and international interests, and concentrate on commercial sales of services, especially overseas.

The BBC must be more accountable to viewers; he announced the merger of the Broadcasting Standards Council and the Broadcasting Complaints Commission.