HC Deb 24 March 1976 vol 908 cc174-5W
28. Miss Harvie Anderson

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether, with the help of savings elsewhere, he will undertake to provide for the continuation under the auspices of the Scottish Office of the educational television service from Glasgow, now under threat of closure.

Mr. McElhone

No. The decision to maintain a local educational television service for schools in Glasgow is entirely one for Strathclyde Regional Council to take in the light of its financial and educational priorities.

Mr. Reid

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he will hold discussions with the Scottish education authorities, the ETV and teaching trade unions and with the BBC and IBA companies, with a view to reporting on the current educational television output in Scotland and to considering the feasibility of establishing a Scottish audio-visual and ETV production unit.

Mr. William Ross

No. The Committee on the Future of Broadcasting is examining the future of broadcasting in the United Kingdom. This includes the use of television for education. The Committee has taken evidence from the Scottish Education Department and from educational bodies in Scotland on the future needs of the Scottish educational system. I do not intend to initiate any further study of ETV production in Scotland before the report of the Committee is available, which, I understand, will be early next year.

Mr. Reid

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish a table in the Official Report listing those education authorities and further education colleges which maintain an ETV production centre, giving details in each case of capital investment to date, equipment and studio space available, and personnel employed.

Mr. William Ross

This information is not held centrally. At my request, the Scottish Council for Educational Technology is conducting a detailed survey of facilities in Scotland for producing video material for educational, training or recreational purposes. The report of this survey will be published later this year.