§ Dr. A. Thompsonasked the Lord Privy Seal whether, in view of the need for close British-American understanding on a wide range of diplomatic trade and cultural issues, as represented by the Prime Minister on his recent official visit to the United States of America, he will now reconsider the future of the American service of the British Broadcasting Corporation with a view to extending its scope.
§ Mr. P. Thomas:The decision to curtail the North American Service of the British Broadcasting Corporation was part of a plan to improve the Corporation's external broadcasting to those countries where it can have most effect. The British Broadcasting Corporation is now finding other means, not involving dollar expenditure, of distributing some topical material in the United States. In general, as I said in the House on 7th December, 1961, the United States is amply supplied through commercial channels with news about Britain and, despite some cuts, we still retain there our largest information organsation.