TELEVISION PROGRAMMES FOR BRITISH FORCES IN GERMANY (Hansard, 6 July 1972)

§ VISCOUNT MONCKTON OF BRENCHLEY
My Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.

EARL FERRERS
My Lords, the provision of English television programmes has been considered several times in the last ten years as one of the possible improvements in the amenities of our forces in Germany. It is likely to be costly and there are technical problems, but a further study is now in progress.

§ VISCOUNT MONCKTON OF BRENCHLEY
My Lords, while thanking the noble Earl, Lord Ferrers, for his Answer may I ask whether he is aware that there are some formations in Germany, such as R.A.F. Station Gütersloh, which with private enterprise and self-help are prepared to provide a service themselves if Government help is forth-coming with the technical problems of frequencies, which is an inter-Governmental matter?

EARL FERRERS
My Lords, I am aware that places like R.A.F. Station Gütersloh have made inquiries about various forms of television service within the station boundaries; but they have met cost and technical difficulties, and they appreciate that the best way of overcoming these difficulties is at Ministry of Defence level. This is being gone into.

§ LORD SHINWELL
My Lords, why does the noble Earl, Lord Ferrers, suggest that there are many problems, when all that is required is to transfer—I hope that this will not be regarded as offensive to our forces in the European zone—some of the repeats which are inflicted upon the British public?

EARL FERRERS
My Lords, I do not want to go into too much detail on this matter. I hope that the noble Lord, Lord Shinwell, will accept from me that there 1511 are great technical problems in getting British television material over to Germany, and that it is in order to try to overcome these technical problems that the whole matter is being considered.

§ LORD SHINWELL
My Lords, is the noble Earl, Lord Ferrers, aware that the German broadcasting people have undertaken several programmes in German in this country without any technical problems arising, and that they have also undertaken English programmes in which I have taken part, for a consideration?

§ LORD STRATHCLYDE
My Lords, is my noble friend Lord Ferrers aware that there are serious complaints about the lack of recreational facilities for our troops in Germany, particularly in the evenings; and will he be good enough to look into the matter?

EARL FERRERS
My Lords, this is one of the problems. If there is to be an expenditure of the nature suggested in the Question of my noble friend Lord Monckton of Brenchley, it has to vie for acceptance with the other priorities such as were mentioned by my noble friend Lord Strathclyde.

§ LORD LEATHERLAND
My Lords, is the noble Earl, Lord Ferrers, aware that an earlier generation of British troops stationed in Germany were able to find entertainment in the evenings without any Government intervention?

§ LORD CHALFONT
My Lords, is the noble Earl, Lord Ferrers, aware neverless that there is a point about amenities for British troops in Germany, especially at night? Is he aware also that, although the morale of the troops in Germany is undoubtedly high, there is a constant demand from the soldiers for British television in their barracks? Will the Government also investigate the possibility of piped television as opposed to the normal kind of transmitted television? I believe that this innovation would dispose of most of the technical difficulties, and certainly the difficulties over frequencies.

EARL FERRERS
My Lords, the noble Lord, Lord Chalfont, is perfectly right when he says that there is a variety of possibilities. One is the question of buying time from a German television network. Another would be the instal 1512 lation of low-power transmitters in the various areas in which our forces are stationed. There are other forms of cable or wired systems. All these various alternatives are now being considered.

§ LORD KILMANY
My Lords, while I fully appreciate the technical difficulties to which the noble Earl, Lord Ferrers, has referred, may I ask whether he will bear in mind that there is some degree of urgency in this matter? The answers which he has given us are not encouraging to our troops who are serving in Germany and who deserve better treatment than they are being given in this respect.

EARL FERRERS
My Lords, I agree that there is some degree of urgency. That is why my right honourable friend is looking into the matter.

§ LORD THORNEYCROFT
My Lords, while declaring a vast variety of interests in this matter may I ask my noble friend Lord Ferrers whether he would at least place all the technical difficulties in front of the British Radio and Electrical Manufacturers Association to see just what is involved, what the cost of providing a service would be and whether the industry could make some contribution towards solving the problem?

EARL FERRERS
My Lords, that is certainly an idea; but I can assure my noble friend Lord Thorneycroft that there have been discussions with the B.B.C. and I.T.V. people with a view to finding out whether this would be a possibility.

§ LORD BERNSTEIN
My Lords, I was going to ask the noble Earl, Lord Ferrers, whether he has asked the I.T.A. and the I.B.A. if some of the technical resources they are using for sound broadcasting could be transferred with a view to solving this problem which is persisting in Germany?

EARL FERRERS
My Lords, as I said in answer to the previous supplementary question, these people have been consulted.