§ Mr. Peter AinsworthTo ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) what plans his Department has to fund a digital broadcasting service to support the GCSE curriculum; [65685]
(2) what steps he has taken to inform digital television licence holders of his plans for a digital broadcast education service to support the GCSE curriculum; [65695]
(3) what advice he has received from commercial broadcasters as to the ability of a digitally broadcasting education service to be self-financing; [65687]
(4) if he will make a statement on the implications for BBC Education Services of the establishment of publicly funded digital broadcast service to support the GCSE curriculum. [65694]
§ Mr. Charles ClarkeI have been asked to reply.
The Department for Education and Employment has invited companies with a broadcasting or transmission licence and experience in the provision of educational broadcast material to submit tenders on a competitive basis for the provision of specific digital broadcasting services to support the GCSE curriculum. These services will support GCSEs in English, mathematics, double award science, history and geography. Bids are currently being considered and information relating to them is commercial in confidence. The precise cost and nature of the services, plans to promote them and permitted sources of revenue will depend on the outcome of the tender exercise and will form part of any contract. A copy of the Invitation to Tender for the digital broadcasting services is being deposited in the Library.
The Department has no plans for a new digital broadcast channel to support the GCSE curriculum. Decisions on such a channel, and on its possible funding, would be for individual broadcasters.