§ Mr. LlwydTo ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the departmental budget allocations were for the S4C Channel each year since 1995; and if she will make a statement. [117744]
§ Dr. HowellsS4C's statutory grant entitlement is for the calendar year but the Department for Culture, Media and Sport operates on an April to March financial year. The Department's budget allocations for the relevant period may therefore differ from the Welsh Authority's grant entitlement for the corresponding calendar year, but were as follows. 611W
£ millions Departmental allocation 1995–96 68.486 1996–97 72.310 1997–981 18.414 1998–99 75.127 1999–2000 75.127 2000–01 75.127 2001–02 76.817 2002–03 80.217 2003–04 85.217 1 From January 1998, under the new funding formula introduced by the Broadcasting Act 1996 S4C's annual grant ceased to be paid in full in January each year and became payable in instalments. The budget alloction for 1997–98 therefore covered the period January to March 1998 only.