§ Mr. Alexander W. Lyonasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he will make a statement on the future of the British Broadcasting Corporation Hebrew Service.
§ Mr. FoleyA careful review has recently been made of the Hebrew Service in the light of the need to ensure that, in existing circumstances, the funds available for information work are spent 241W with maximum effectiveness. The conclusion reached is that our links with Israel can more suitably be maintained in other ways and the B.B.C., whose views have been taken into account in this review, are accordingly being asked to discontinue the Hebrew Service. The B.B.C.'s World Service in English has a much larger audience in Israel than the Hebrew Service and will, of course, continue. We are, in addition, expecting that the redeployment of funds will enable us to step up our activity in the cultural field in Israel.