Broadcasting Act 1981

47 Function, powers and duties of Welsh Authority. U.K.

(1) The function of the Welsh Authority shall be—

(a) to provide television programmes (other than advertisements) of high quality for broadcasting by the IBA on the Fourth Channel in Wales; and

(b) to provide the IBA with programme schedules for those programmes;

and, subject to the provisions of this Act so far as they apply in relation to the Fourth Channel in Wales, it shall be the duty of the IBA to broadcast on that Channel the programmes provided by the Welsh Authority, and to do so in accordance with the programme schedules so provided.

(2) In this Part “the Fourth Channel in Wales” means the Fourth Channel so far as it consists of programmes (other than advertisements) broadcast for reception in Wales.

(3) A substantial proportion of the programmes included in the programme schedules provided by the Welsh Authority shall be in Welsh; and the programme schedules shall be drawn up so as to secure that the programmes broadcast on the Fourth Channel in Wales between the hours of 6.30 p.m. and 10.00 p.m. consist mainly of programmes in Welsh.

(4) Subject to subsection (3), the programme schedules provided 8 by the Welsh Authority shall be drawn up with a view to securing that, for any period allocated to the broadcasting of a programme not in Welsh, the programme broadcast is normally the same as the programme (or one of the programmes) broadcast on the Fourth Channel in that period for reception otherwise than in Wales.

(5) It shall be the duty of the Welsh Authority—

(a) to discharge their function under subsection (1) so as to secure that the Fourth Channel in Wales is a public service for disseminating information, education and entertainment; and

(b) to ensure that the programmes provided by them maintain a high general standard in all respects, and in particular in respect of their content and quality, and that the programmes in Welsh so provided maintain a proper balance and wide range in their subject matter, having regard both to the programmes as a whole and also to the days of the week on which, and the times of the day at which, the programmes are broadcast.

(6) The Welsh Authority shall, subject to the provisions of this Act so far as they apply in relation to the Fourth Channel in Wales, have power to do all such things as are in their opinion necessary for, or conducive to, the proper discharge of their function under subsection (1).