Communications Act 2003

Monitoring of programmes

334 Retention and production of recordings

(1) The regulatory regime for every programme service licensed by a Broadcasting Act licence includes conditions imposing on the provider of the service—

(a) a requirement in respect of every programme included in the service to retain a recording of the programme in a specified form and for a specified period after its inclusion;

(b) a requirement to comply with any request by OFCOM to produce to them for examination or reproduction a recording retained in pursuance of the conditions in the licence; and

(c) a requirement, if the provider is able to do so, to comply with any request by OFCOM to produce to them a script or transcript of a programme included in the programme service.

(2) The period specified for the purposes of a condition under subsection (1)(a) must be—

(a) in the case of a programme included in a television programme service, a period not exceeding ninety days; and

(b) in the case of a programme included in a radio programme service, a period not exceeding forty-two days.

(3) For the purpose of maintaining supervision of the programmes included in programme services, OFCOM may themselves make and use recordings of those programmes or any part of them.

(4) Nothing in this Part is to be construed as requiring OFCOM, in the carrying out of their functions under this Part as respects programme services and the programmes included in them, to view or listen to programmes in advance of their being included in such services.