§ Mr. Richard Pageasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether the report of the independent review of the radio spectrum, 30–960 MHz, has been received; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. FletcherThe report of the independent review of the radio spectrum (30–960 MHz) was submitted to the then Home Secretary on 7 June 1983, and is being published today as Cmnd. 9000. Copies will be placed in the Library of the House. The matter now falls within my right hon. Friend's jurisdiction in view of the recent transfer of the radio regulatory department from the Home Office to the Department of Trade and Industry.
I am very grateful to Dr. Merriman and his colleagues for their thorough and wide-ranging analysis of the problems of regulating the radio spectrum. The conclusion and recommendations in the report cover both the pattern of use in the range 30–960 MHz, and the machinery for frequency management. We shall be giving these recommendations careful study and will announce our conclusions in due course.