§ 11. Mr. Malcolm MacMillanasked the Postmaster-General what steps are now being taken to overcome any technical or other difficulties affecting the provision of television in Barra, the Uists area and Harris in the Western Isles.
§ The Assistant Postmaster-General (Miss Mervyn Pike)The B.B.C. says that it cannot plan further stations for the Western Isles until the stations my right hon. Friend has already authorised for Lewis and Skye are working and their effective range can be established. The B.B.C. hopes to open these stations by the middle of 1964.
§ Mr. MacMillanIs the hon. Lady aware that the question is really whether the Government will try now to eliminate as far as possible technical and other snags which will face the B.B.C. and others concerned when they get to these new phases of development? Will the Government try now to short-circuit—if that is the right word to use here—as far as possible the delays which arose in earlier phases in the Western Isles and Highlands?
§ Miss PikeI assure the hon. Gentleman that we are doing that. Since he raised this matter in the recent debate I have looked into it, and I assure the hon. Gentleman that this question is uppermost in our planning.