London Olympic Games and Paralympic Games Bill

The thanks that the hon. Member for Faversham and Mid-Kent (Hugh Robertson) gave to my staff and all those who worked on the Bill will be passed on. They have done an excellent job not just on the Bill, but in keeping Opposition Members informed and, indeed, in considering and acting on many of their comments, and rightly so. Those thanks will be conveyed to all those concerned. We will consider the Joint Committee recommendations that were referred to by the hon. Member for Bath (Mr. Foster) and incorporate them in the explanatory memorandum. That should be available when the Bill receives Royal Assent, which, I hope, will be early in April or even towards the end of this month. This group of amendments gives greater clarity as to how the London Olympics Association right affects publishers and broadcasters. The Bill had always provided for exemptions from the London Olympics Association right for people who broadcast reports or published information about the 2012 games. These amendments provide greater clarity and certainty for publishers and broadcasters that their activities will not be adversely affected by the new association right. Our intention throughout has been to ensure the absolute freedom of the press to report about, or indeed comment on, the Olympic games and the Paralympic games. The amendments provide important clarification of that position, but in creating an ““editorial or journalistic”” exemption, we needed to ensure that we did not unwittingly create a situation that advertisers and those who seek to ambush the games could exploit. That is why the journalistic exemptions in the original draft of the Bill contained the phrase ““necessary incident””. That phrase caused the publishers and broadcasting industries considerable concern, and I am happy that we were able in the other place to table amendments that addressed that concern. We have found a form of words that provide comfort to the publishers and broadcasting industries that their activities will not be unfairly affected by the Bill, but that also ensure that advertising material that is published at the same time as, or in connection with, a report or information about the games will not have an ““editorial”” exemption behind which to hide. I think that both sides of the House have always been in agreement about what this provision should achieve—ensuring the freedom of the press in relation to the 2012 games. I think these amendments achieve that without creating a loophole that advertisers who seek to ambush the games could exploit. While the issue came up in debate on the provisions in schedule 4, it applies equally to the Olympics association right as well. That is why we have made identical changes to schedule 3, which amends the original Olympic symbol legislation. I hope that hon. Members agree that these changes improve the Bill and that they will be prepared to accept the amendments that their lordships have made.