§ Mr. Charles Irvingasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what has been the expenditure on the overseas service of the British Broadcasting Corporation in each year since 1972–73; and what are the projected figures for the next five years.
§ Mr. OnslowThe Foreign and Commonwealth Office has been responsible for accounting for grants-in-aid to the BBC external services only since 1977–78. For the three years prior to that responsibility rested with the Home Office and before that with the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications.
Excluding expenditure on relay stations operated by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office for the BBC and including the cost of the monitoring service, the total figures in £ million from 1977–78—current and capital—are as follows: 151W
£ million 1977–78 33.2 1978–79 37.2 1979–80 42.9 1980–81 55.0 1981–82 62.8 In 1982–83 estimated expenditure is £71.0 million. although no precise figures are available for future years, the 1983–84 Main Estimates which are due to be presented to Parliament in March will contain the estimated expenditure for that year. It is likely that recurrent expenditure will continue at a similar level in real terms and that capital expenditure will fluctuate to meet the needs of the programme set out in the reply given to my hon. Friend the Member for East Grinstead (Sir G. Johnson Smith) by my hon. Friend the Member for Shoreham (Mr. Luce) on 8 July 1981.—[Vol. 8, c. 137.]