§ Mr. Michael Morrisasked the Lord Privy Seal what is the saving from cutting out the British Broadcasting Corporation external service in (a) Portuguese and (b) Burmese.
§ Mr. RidleyThe estimated saving from discontinuing the Portuguese service to Latin America is about £450,000 and for discontinuing the Burmese service about £215,000. The Portuguese service to Europe and Africa will continue.
These savings will help to finance the enhanced capital programme to improve audibility, to which the Government are prepared in principle to contribute £13 million in 1983–84 and 1984–85 combined, and similar sums in future years, providing the BBC achieves savings of about £3 million a year in current expenditure from 1982–83 onwards. All figures are in forecast cash prices.