§ Mr. Robert McCartneyTo ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what areas of Northern Ireland will not be able to receive Channel 5; and for what reasons. [7191]
§ Mr. SproatViewers in several parts of the country will not be able to receive Channel 5 by means of traditional transmission across the airwaves because of a shortage of available frequencies. Maps prepared by the Independent Television Commission, indicating the predicted coverage of Channel 5 via terrestrial transmission across the UK, were placed in the Library of the House in October. Channel 5 Broadcasting Ltd., expects its coverage to exceed 70 per cent. of the UK population, and 64 per cent. 589W of the population of Northern Ireland using the transmitters at Black Mountain and Londonderry in Northern Ireland. It is open to Channel 5 Broadcasting Ltd. to extend its coverage by supplementing terrestrial transmission by cable and satellite delivery.