§ Mr. Alfred MorrisTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many staff the BBC World Service had(a) in 1991–92 and (b) 1992–93; and how many it has at present.
§ Mr. Heathcoat-AmoryIn 1991–92 the total staff complement of the BBC World Service, including BBC Monitoring, was 2,826. The equivalent figure for 1992–93 was 2,941. At the end of September 1993 there was a total of 2,920 staff.
§ Mr. Alfred MorrisTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many hours of programmes to(a) Africa and (b) Europe the BBC World Service broadcast in (i) 1991–92 and (ii) 1992–93; and how many hours will be broadcast in 1993–94.
§ Mr. Heathcoat-AmoryThe information requested is as follows:
1991–92 hours 1992–93 hours 1993–94 hours Sub-Saharan Africa 13,500 13,850 14,310 Europe 21,550 22,060 23,240 Each regional total includes broadcast figures for World Service in English.
§ Mr. Alfred MorrisTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has to increase funding for the BBC World Service.
§ Mr. Heathcoat-AmoryPlans for future funding of the BBC World Service will be disclosed in due course.
§ Mr. Alfred MorrisTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what were the transmission hours of the BBC World Service(a) in 1991–92 and (b) 1992–93; and what will be the transmission hours in 1993–94.
§ Mr. Heathcoat-AmoryIn 1991–92, World Service's total transmitted hours were 42,436, and in 1992–93, 43,797. The estimate for 1993–94 is 45,220. These figures do not include programme material not directly broadcast but sent via satellite, on disc or on cassette, to be available for local rebroadcasting.
There is also a significant amount of local rebroadcasting from direct transmissions. Figures for these are: 1991–92, 2,895 hours; 1992–93, 15,527 hours; and the estimate for 1993–94 is 18,700 hours.
§ Mr. Alfred MorrisTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is his most recent estimate of the number of people living outside the United Kingdom who listen to BBC World Service broadcasts.
§ Mr. Heathcoat-AmoryLatest estimates by the BBC World Service, based on audience research, indicate that 391W the regular global audience for World Service broadcasts in all languages, outside the United Kingdom, is in the region of 130 million. This figure does not include any information on audiences in certain countries, such as China, Burma and Vietnam, where reliable data are not available.
§ Mr. Alfred MorrisTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what funding has been made available to the BBC World Service in(a) 1991–92, (b) 1992–93 and (c) 1993–94.
§ Mr. Heathcoat-AmoryThe total grants-in-aid to the BBC World Service were £156.75 million in 1991–92 and £166.91 million in 1992–93. The total provision for 1993–94 is £175.87 million. These figures include the Ministry of Defence contribution to BBC Monitoring.