Member News
By Tony Grew - 14th July 2011
The business secretary has said current laws on media owership are "unsatisfactory" and need to be reformed.
At departmental questions this morning Vince Cable was asked by Luciana Berger (Lab, Liverpool Wavertree) if he expected powers on media mergers to be handed back to him.
The quasi-judicial powers were transferred from Cable to culture secretary Jeremy Hunt in December after Cable was caught on tape claiming he was "declaring war" on Rupert Murdoch over his bid for BSkyB.
Murdoch's News International has now withdrawn its bid after a series of revelations about the behaviour of journalists on his title News of the World.
The prime minister has announced a wide-ranging inquiry into media wrongdoing.
Cable told Berger that he is "delighted to discover that the whole of Britain and the House of Commons now agrees with me".
He said his party leader, deputy prime minister Nick Clegg, has spoken on "the need to radically reform policy in relation to competition, cross-ownership in the media, and we may well have to revisit the legislation because it's clearly unsatisfactory".
Business minister David Willetts was asked about "future space travel and exploration".
Steve Brine (Con, Winchester) said an "ambitious government" could encourage UK business to invest in space travel.
Willetts said the government has set out its support for "innovative new forms of space travel such as Virgin Galactic, involving British entrepreneurs and British inventors".
He told MPs that the commercial sector should drive the future of space travel.
Several MPs raised the issue of where the new green investment bank will be based.
Minister Mark Prisk said London, Edinburgh and Bristol had "made approaches" but denied there is a shortlist.
David Mowat (Con, Warrington South) called for a "rigourous and transparent" process, allowing towns to be judged on their merits.
Mark Lazarowicz (Lab, Edinburgh North) put forward the case for his city, as did Stephen Williams (Lib Dem, Bristol West).
Have your say...
Please enter your comments below.