§ Mr. Eldon Griffithsasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will now indicate the frequencies on which he expects the forthcoming fourth television service to be broadcast in order that the independent broadcasting authority may, without prejudice to future decisions of Government or Parliament, undertake the preparatory engineering works needed for this new channel.
§ Mr. Merlyn ReesThe existing network of UHF television stations has been planned from the outset on the basis that each transmitting station would be capable of radiating four programme services. The four frequency channels allocated to each station are published by the BBC and IBA in their annual reports.
As to the undertaking of preparatory engineering work for the fourth channel, I would ask the hon. Member to await the Government's proposals for the future constitution, structure and organisation of broadcasting, which I hope to publish in the form of a White Paper.