An important Westminster committee has been debating the impact of the digital revolution on regional brodcasters.

It has been claimed that Northern Ireland's media has missed out on the only element of the UK Government's Digital Britain report that would have given it a significant boost.

Ministers put forward plans earlier this year for local press and media firms to join forces to deliver regional television news in an attempt to ensure there is an alternative to the BBC.

It announced pilots will be run in Scotland, Wales and an English region - but not Northern Ireland.

However, pressure is now mounting on ministers to reverse the decision with media leaders from NI giving evidence to Parliament's Northern Ireland Affairs Committee, which is holding an inquiry into television broadcasting in the province.

They told MPs Northern Ireland's media must be at forefront of changes the government is introducing, not the tail-end, particularly in-light of the political landscape.

Northern Ireland productions accounts for just 0.03% of UK output, but even though that is set to rise to just 2% by 2012, MPs were told the presence of Northern Ireland broadcasting must be increased across the UK network.

Evidence came from Trevor Birney, Managing Director of Below the Radar, an independent Belfast-based production company as well as in the form of written evidence submitted by Paul Connolly, Managing Editor of Independent News & Media, which publishes the Belfast Telegraph, and Richard Williams, Chief Executive of Northern Ireland Screen, which promotes the local screen industry.

Back in June, the Digital Britain White Paper, set out the importance of the Digital Economy to the nation's economic future, and how it will drive future industrial capability and competitiveness and, at the time, the Prime Minister said: "Digital Britain is about giving the country the tools to succeed and lead the way in the economy of the future.

"This report shows how we will ensure we have a world-class digital and communications infrastructure, that we promote and protect talent and innovation in our creative industries, that we modernise our TV and radio frameworks and support local news."

DUP Minister Nelson McCausland had earlier cancelled a meeting with his counterpart at the Department of Culture, Media and Sport after NI was the only one of the UK's regions not to get a pilot programme for regional news.

He was angry that the news pilots schemes would be tendered in Scotland, Wales and one English region early next year to produce regional news programming which would be broadcast on the ITV network.

He is understood to be angry that Northern Ireland has lost out on millions of pounds of funding for public service broadcasting in the Province.

Strangford MP Iris Robinson also expressed concern about the Digital Britain strategy and demanded equal treatment for Northern Ireland.

There is also disappointment at the Belfast Telegraph group and at Bob Geldof's Ten Alps company.

They have formed an alliance to tender for a pilot programme, should one have been granted for Northern Ireland.

(BMcC/GK)