§ Mr. Hickmetasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) for how long the eastern Mediterranean relay station of the world service of the British Broadcasting Corporation has not been operating;
394W(2) how transmissions of the world service of the British Broadcasting Corporation have been affected by the fact that the eastern Mediterranean relay station is not working; and to which countries the relay station is designed to relay transmissions;
(3) when the effectiveness of the eastern Mediterranean relay station will be restored; what steps are being taken by his Department to restore its effectiveness; and if he will make a statement;
(4) why the eastern Mediterranean relay station of the world service of the British Broadcasting Corporation is not operating.
§ Mr. WhitneyThe British east Mediterranean relay station carries medium-wave transmissions of the Arabic service and world service to the near east and north Africa; also, short-wave transmissions in a number of languages to the middle east, the southern USSR and north and east Africa.
The normal operation of the BEMRS has been affected because of industrial action taken by locally engaged Greek Cypriot staff in pursuance of a pay claim. So far, the medium-wave service remains unaffected. The shortwave service at BEMRS ceased operation on 11 April 1984, but some services have been replaced by transmissions from other BBC transmitting stations.
We wish to see normal relay operations resumed as soon as possible. To this end, we are continuing negotiations through the good offices of the Cyprus Ministry of Labour Mediation Service, in an attempt to find an acceptable formula to settle the dispute in accordance with Her Majesty's Government's good local employer principle to pay wages and maintain conditions of service which are generally , equivalent to those obtaining in similar employment in the Republic of Cyprus.