Media: Ownership
Question
Mr Angus MacDonald
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of media ownership rules in relation to companies with headquarters outside the UK.
Answer
Ian MurrayThe UK is open for investment from people around the world, provided that, in the case of investment in media sectors, their investment complies with the foreign state influence and public interest media merger regimes.
The Culture Secretary considers all mergers involving any newspaper, broadcaster or news media enterprise that reach certain thresholds as set out in the Enterprise Act 2002. This legislation applies to all relevant investors, wherever they are based, or - in the case of companies - wherever their headquarters are located. We consider these regimes to be sufficient, but continue to keep them under review to ensure their effectiveness.