§ Mr. Malcolm MacMillanasked the Postmaster-General if he will specify each of the main difficulties, other than the financial ones, which are still delaying his authorising the British Broadcasting Corporation to extend television and 181W V.H.F. service to the Western Isles and North-West Highland coastal areas.
§ Mr. K. ThompsonThe B.B.C. plans for the extension over a period of years of TV and V.H.F. sound coverage must take into account the needs of other areas in Wales, Northern Ireland and England as well as in Scotland. The frequencies allocated to additional stations must he carefully chosen so as to avoid interference between stations and the creation of "mush" areas. Likewise the polarisation and power of all stations must be fixed as part of a carefully coordinated plan.
So far as the Western Isles and North-West Highland coastal areas are concerned coverage is not an easy matter. Television and V.H.F. sound signals have a limited range, particularly in hilly country. The choice of suitable sites and appropriate frequencies is of particular importance for any stations proposed here: and an order of development must be determined so that signals can be relayed from one station to another.