Communications Act 2003

Programme quotas for original productions U.K.

8 (1) It shall be the duty of the Welsh Authority, in relation to their designated public services (taken together) to secure— U.K.

(a) that the time allocated, in each year, to the broadcasting of original productions included in those services is no less than the proportion fixed under sub-paragraph (2) of the total amount of time allocated to the broadcasting of all the programmes included in those services; and

(b) that the time allocated to the broadcasting of original productions is split in the manner so fixed between peak viewing times and other times.

(2) The fixing for the purposes of sub-paragraph (1) of a proportion or manner of splitting allocated time is to be—

(a) by agreement between the Welsh Authority and OFCOM; or

(b) in default of agreement, by a direction given by OFCOM to the Authority fixing the proportion or manner according to whatever OFCOM consider appropriate for ensuring that the service is consistently of a high quality.

(3) The agreement or direction may, for the purposes of sub-paragraph (1)(b), fix a proportion for the purposes of sub-paragraph (1)(a) in terms of the cumulative effect of two different minimum proportions, one applying to peak viewing times and the other to other times.

(4) The agreement or direction may provide that specified descriptions of programmes are to be excluded in determining the programmes a proportion of which is to constitute original productions.

(5) It may also provide that, in determining whether a programme is of a description of programmes excluded by an agreement or direction by virtue of sub-paragraph (4), regard is to be had to any guidance prepared and published, and from to time revised, by OFCOM.

(6) References in this paragraph, in relation to the designated public services of the Welsh Authority, to original productions are references to programmes of such description as the Secretary of State may by order specify as describing the programmes that are to be original productions for the purposes of this paragraph.

(7) The power to specify descriptions of programmes by order under sub-paragraph (6) includes power to confer such discretions on OFCOM as the Secretary of State thinks fit.

(8) Before making an order under this paragraph the Secretary of State must consult OFCOM, the BBC and the Welsh Authority.

(9) No order is to be made containing provision authorised by this paragraph unless a draft of the order has been laid before Parliament and approved by a resolution of each House.

(10) The services that are designated public services for the purposes of this paragraph are—

(a) S4C;

(b) S4C Digital; and

(c) any of the Welsh Authority’s other public television services which is designated for the purposes of this paragraph by the order under section 205 approving its provision.

(11) In this paragraph—

• “peak viewing time”, in relation to the designated public services of the Welsh Authority, means a time that is determined in accordance with sub-paragraph (12) to be a peak viewing time for one or more of those services; and

• “programme” does not include an advertisement.

(12) The determination for the purposes of this paragraph of peak viewing times is to be—

(a) by agreement between the Welsh Authority and OFCOM; or

(b) in default of agreement, by a direction given by OFCOM to the Authority determining those times.

Commencement Information

I1 Sch. 12 para. 8 in force at 1.7.2004 by S.I. 2003/3142, art. 4(4)(c) (with art. 11) (as amended (4.3.2004) by S.I. 2004/545, art. 2(2)(3)(c))