Digital Switchover (Disclosure of Information) Bill

My Lords, my noble friend is right. Indeed, we had those debates when he represented that department in another place and I represented that department in this House. Some of my more painful experiences were when I was debating some of the issues on the terms of eligibility. In response to the question asked by the noble Lord, Lord Clement-Jones, the Minister said that any other change has to be done by agreement with the BBC. That is not very difficult for the Secretary of State to do because we know that the BBC has to look to him for its funding and so on. The Secretary of State can go along to the BBC at any time and say, ““Listen, I think we need to change the rules here. Do you agree?””. The poor old BBC has to agree because it will not have any choice. That is the problem. We support the intentions behind this, but, in effect, it will allow the spending of a substantial sum of money, which in any other government department would be subject to parliamentary scrutiny, without that scrutiny. I am grateful for the Minister’s response. He nodded when I said that I could either write to him or go to see him to determine whether I could come forward with a better amendment, which I will do. In the mean time, I thank him for his reply and beg leave to withdraw the amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.