§ 2.38 p.m.
§ Lord BrockwayMy Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.
§ The Question was as follows:
§ To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their view of the proposal of the United Nations General Assembly Committee on Information that the United Nations Secretariat should conduct the necessary financial, technical and legal studies to enable it "to undertake international short-wave broadcasts over United Nations owned facilities and frequencies".
§ The Earl of AvonMy Lords, Resolution 35/201 adopted by consensus at the Thirty-Fifth Session of the United Nations General Assembly in December 1980 requested the Secretary-General to undertake the necessary studies for the consideration of the United Nations Committee on Information. Her Majesty's Government await the outcome of these studies.
§ Lord BrockwayMy Lords, I thank the Minister for that Answer. When nearly every Government broadcasts over the world—America, the Soviet Union, Britain and many other nations; the British being the most objective of them all—is there not a case for the United Nations to have similar broadcasting facilities, in order to integrate an international view of these problems?
§ The Earl of AvonMy Lords, this is, of course, one of the matters which will now be looked at by the United Nations. I agree with the noble Lord that 3 the United Kingdom does, indeed, lead in this field. However, I think we must await the outcome of this report before we can say any more.