§ Mr. Richard Shepherdasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what proposals for the extension of the existing franchises of independent television companies he is considering as a condition for their participation in the Unisat programme;
(2) whether he is placing any restrictions on the British Broadcasting Corporation's choice of system for direct broadcasting by satellite.
§ Mr. HurdThe BBC, the IBA and the Independent Television Contractors Association have been discussing possible forms of collaboration in DBS, and in that context the ITV companies have said that they would not be able to share the risks involved without some relaxation of the requirements of section 19 of the Broadcasting Act 1981. The collaborative proposals which are being considered assume that a British satellite would be used, in accordance with the Government's wish to see the greatest economic benefits accrue to the United Kingdom, and that the technical specifications would be those described in the answer given to a question from my hon. Friend the Member for Honiton (Sir P. Emery) on 19 January 1984, at column285.