Any questions for Jeremy Hunt?

Jeremy Hunt was appointed the Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport in David Cameron's recent reshuffle. He was first elected to Parliament in June 2005 representing South West Surrey and was on the front bench within six months as the Party's spokesman for disabled people.

Before entering Parliament Jeremy ran his own educational publishing company, employing 85 people.   

If you would like to ask Jeremy a question please leave it in the thread below or email it here.

Comments

[Umbrella man]

Do you think that our inner cities should really depend upon mass gambling for their regeneration?

[robin]

Well done for kicking the Lib Dems into touch in SW Surrey at the GE.

[601]

Is the olympics value for money?

Do you think local eastenders will really benefit or will eastern europeans take most of the new jobs?

[Editor]

Former BBC reporter Robin Aitken (author of a book on BBC bias that I could not recommend more highly) has suggested that a small portion of the licence fee - 2% - be allocated to a new speech-based radio station that could offer a public service broadcasting alternative to the BBC. It could, for example, be based on our parliamentary and legal systems where two sides of debates are in charge of programming/ debating rather than the French system of law where we entrust one person to search for truth. The Moral Maze, Morgan & Platell, Hannity & Colmes, Sky's old Crossfire programme are all examples of what the station might look like. What do you think of this?

[601]

Editor when are we going to get the answeres because I remember we asked Francis maude questions and I don't remember getting the answers.

[601]

Editor @ 09.30 competition for the BBC is good as long as the money is found from the existing amount in the licence fee.

[Editor]

It'll be about a week 601. I've asked ToryRadio's Jonathan Sheppard to reply to your question about Francis Maude. CH only seeks questions for FM. ToryRadio does the interviewing.

[Jonathan Sheppard]

601 - Francis Maude was usually very good at giving answers to questions he didnt always want to have to anwer. All the interviews with him are still online in the archive section of www.toryradio.com.

We couldnt always ask every question that people wanted due to time constraints - but if we got to your question - it should have had some form of answer.

The good news is that Caroline Spelman has agreed to continue the Challenge the Chairman slots.

[Sally Roberts]

Hi Jeremy,
What do you think is going to be the biggest challenge in your new job?

[Henry Edward-Bancroft]

Jeremy - many congratulations on your new role - very much deserved!!

What are you thoughts on fighting Lib Dems, this is a key issue for Surrey members and activists. A

s a party both locally and nationally should we be more focussed on "campaign support", much like the Lib Dems, for example your own constituency of South West Surrey supporting, say, Anne Milton in neighbouring Guildford?

[Richard Hamilton]

Jeremy: Many congratulations on being promoted to this crucial Shadow Cabinet role. A couple of questions. Firstly, although it is early days, do you have any emerging views on whether the Arts Council (as currently constituted) is fulfilling its brief in the right way for the country as a whole? For example, is it right that some of our national institutions (many of them of international standing) are directly supported by DCMS (such as The National Gallery) while some (such as The Royal Opera House) are subject to Arts Council requirements? Secondly, given the crucial role the Arts can play with education, do you see yourself working closely with the new Shadow Education team in this regard?

[Old Hack]

Is it not time to establish a independent commission to review the future structure and purpose of the BBC?

and

Should Channel 4 be privatised?

and

Is there any point to requiring broadcast media to produce 'balanced' reporting in elections when in fact there is precious little balance to be seen?

[Alan S]

Do you support charging for museums?

[MO]

How difficult did you find it being selected for South West Surrey as PPC and what was the experience like?

[CAWP]

Was it fair to have campaigned solidly on the 2005 manifesto only to, two months ago in the local press, announce yourself a liberal Conservative?

[Yogi]

Do you think that the Government should ban our cricketers from travelling to Zimbabwe to play one day internationals?

[TaxCutter]

I believe that individuals should choose their own social lives, and pay for them too. Hence, would you support me in abolishing the post of Minister of Culture?

[malcolm]

Now you've had a chance to see IDS report will the Conservative party unequivocally campaign against ANY supercasinos being established in Britain?

[Conservative Homer]

Would it be possible to get rid of the Arts Council and return its c.£500 million of annual funding to taxpayers, or at least restrict it? Would a Conservative government do this (and stick to funding of essential services only)?

[Pisaboy]

To what extent will the internet render OFCOM obsolete?

[Alex Swanson]

In 1997, the Major govt banned the ownership of full-bore handguns, in defiance of their own commissioned report which recommended against it. The new Labour govt then extended the ban to 0.22" calibre pistols as well.

Will you reaffirm the promise made at that time, that the next Conservative govt will repeal the Labour legislation?

Will you go further and acknowledge what every senior MP knows to be true, and that the Home Office has officially admitted to me, that there is no evidence whatever that these bans improve public safety; and once this is acknowledged, will you therefore take the logical step of repealing BOTH bans? And if not, why not?

Regardless of your replies above; will you also acknowledge the anger, bitterness, and alienation of those directly affected by these unjust bans, who have deserved the unstinting support of any honest MP, and with very few exceptions have failed to receive it?

And finally, if the bans are still in effect in 2012, will you support the holding of an Olympic Games in a country where some Olympic events are illegal, and where the Olympic charter is therefore not being upheld?

[Alex Swanson]

And, oh yes, regardless of any other action you might or might not pass in this area, will you take steps to stop the police abusing the discretionary powers they have under current legislation? (Examples available privately upon request)

[Dave Bartlett]

Is there any pressure the Conservative party could, or should, put on the BBC to publicly address the points raised by Robin Aitken?

[Ken Stevens]

Will you advocate confining the BBC and associated licence fee to genuine public service broadcasting, i.e. not ratings driven? That would entail reducing BBC to one or two channels each of TV and radio. Much of BBC's output, filling several TV channels, is in straightforward competition with the commercial broadcasters and should be privatised.

Part of the equation could be direct grants for the making of public service programmes by independent companies, for airing on any channel.

[towcestarian]

In Antony Jay's pamphlet "Confessions of a Reformed BBC Producer", which you highligthed on CH today, Mr Jay says "media liberalism has now been adopted by the leaders of all three political parties". This directly associates David Cameron and his shadow cabinet (yourself included)alongside the BBC as "part of the problem", not "part of the solution". How do you answer this very forthright and damning accusation.

[John Marsh]

SHOULD THERE BE A POWERFUL EXTERNAL AUDITING BODY WITH REAL TEETH TO CHECK THAT BROADCASTERS - ESPECIALLY THE BBC - ARE IMPARTIAL?

[Graeme Archer]

You were very good on Today this morning while I was still half asleep, and congratulations on taking on this important job. I second all of "old Hack's" questions at 11.37, with the hope that you answer 'Yes' 'yes' and 'no' :-0)