HC Deb 09 August 1972 vol 842 cc477-8W
Mr. Greville Janner

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he will protest to all international radio and communications organisations concerning the continued jamming of British Broadcasting Corporation broadcasts to the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.

Mr. Kershaw

We deplore the continuation of jamming, and have made our views clear at the technical level. There is however no international organisation concerned with broadcasting appropriate to receive a protest about jamming, which must be regarded as an internal Soviet matter.

Mr. Greville Janner

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on what dates the matter of the jamming of the British Broadcasting Corporation broadcasts to the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics has been raised through the normal diplomatic channels during each of the last two years for which records are available; when was the last such occasion; and what has been the response given to each of such representations by the Soviet authorities.

Mr. Kershaw

I regret that I cannot provide a complete list of the occasions on which this matter has been raised with the Russians, since most of our representations, though numerous, have been informal. The Soviet response has generally been to criticise the content of British Broadcasting Corporation broadcasts to the Soviet Union.

Mr. Greville Janner

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what was the level of Soviet jamming of the British Broadcasting Corporation in 1972; what areas, what broadcasts and what languages were affected; what times of day or night were affected; and what areas of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics were affected.

Mr. Kershaw

For obvious reasons I should prefer not to publish details of the effectiveness of jamming or of any counter-measures.