§ Mr. Onslowasked the Secretary of State for Defence what charge his Department makes to the BBC for meteorological services; and what charge is made to ITV companies for the same service.
§ Mr. WigginWeather forecasts are provided free of charge to the BBC in return for it undertaking to broadcast shipping forecasts, reports from coastal stations and gale and other public warnings. They are, however, charged the staff costs of the weathermen's national and regional TV appearances and preparatory work, currently £76,000 per year.
Commercial TV companies are charged for services, there being no similar obligation on them. The charges depend on the services required and wide variations between regions render comparisons meaningless. They are, however, charged at the same rates for staff time, computer time and transmission costs as apply to other repayment customers.