HC Deb 07 April 1952 vol 498 cc2288-9
61. Mr. Ernest Davies

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs which of the British Broadcasting Corporation services subject to jamming by the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics will have the costs of their anti-jamming met otherwise than out of the British Broadcasting Corporation grant-in-aid.

Mr. Eden

The money to meet these costs can be made available to the Corporation only by means of a grant-in-aid. As I told my hon. Friend the Member for Stratford (Mr. Profumo) on 2nd April, they will not be financed at the expense of existing services. The services to which these anti-jamming measures apply at present are those to Poland, Finland, Czechoslovakia and Hungary.

Mr. Davies

Could the right hon. Gentleman give an assurance that the grant-in-aid will actually be increased in order that the cost of these anti-jamming measures can be met out of increased new funds and not out of existing funds?

Mr. Eden

It may be necessary to do it in that way or it may be necessary to do it by Supplementary Estimate. What we are determined is that Soviet Russia shall not decide how much broadcasting we do.

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