§ Mr. Adleyasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if it is the policy of Her Majesty's Government to ensure that no restrictions are placed on the dissemination of news from Great Britain by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office overseas; and if he will confirm that it remains his policy not to seek to influence the independent reporting of news from Great Britain.
§ Mr. Adleyasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with Her Majesty's Ambassador in Washington on the future policy of the British Information Service in New York, concerning particularly the daily dissemination of news from Great Britain; if there has been any change of policy; if so, why, other than for economic reasons; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. LuardBritish Information Services' practice of distributing in written form the BBC's daily summary of British newspapers has been under review for some years. My right hon. Friend has not discussed this particular matter with the Ambassador. Foreign and Commonwealth Office inspectors recommended at the end of last year that it should no 579W longer be distributed on a daily basis, but as a weekly or twice-weekly summary instead. Its usefulness and cost-effectiveness, which are the only criteria by which it is judged, have been further considered as part of the follow-up to the review of overseas representation by the Central Policy Review Staff. At present it is still appearing on a daily basis.