§ Mr. Gwilym Robertsasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will initiate discussions with the BBC aimed at minimising the impact of frequency changes in BBC radio channels proposed for November 1978; and if he will have the issue raised at the World Administrative Radio Conference in Geneva in the autumn.
§ Mr. Merlyn ReesNo. The changes which will take place in November 1978 constitute in the main a redistribution, between the different programme services and the different transmitting stations, of the frequency channels available for BBC use in the long and medium wavebands. The redistribution which was proposed by the BBC will, in the Corporation's view, give better service to listeners generally than they would receive if only the minimum changes dictated by international requirements were made. It was discussed 167W extensively with the Home Office last year and is proceeding with my knowledge and agreement.
No World Administrative Radio Conference is to be held in the autumn of this year. There will be one in Geneva in the autumn of 1979 but it will be concerned with the revision of the international Radio Regulations, not with the United Kingdom's domestic arrangements for its broadcasting services.