§ Mr. Sillarsasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if, in view of the improved financial state of the economy, he will authorise the broadcasting authorities to advance work on 127W phase 2 of their transmitting stations designed to serve populations of less than 1,000 people; and if he will ensure that those stations scheduled for work in 1979 will be brought forward to 1978.
§ Mr. Merlyn ReesThe broadcasting authorities, which are primarily and jointly responsible for extending UHF television coverage throughout the United Kingdom, tell me that the planning and provision of the new stations, which are coming into service at the rate of about one each week, are complex matters in which factors other than finance, such as site and equipment availability, are the more dominant considerations. The broadcasting authorities assure me that they are doing all they can to advance the extension of UHF coverage.