HC Deb 14 November 1984 vol 67 cc258-9W
Mr. Kirkwood

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of the 90,000 people in the United Kingdom presently without a usable UHF television service are in Scotland; and whether he will now require the broadcasting authorities to provide UHF coverage to all communities consisting of 100 people or more.

Mr. Giles Shaw

The BBC and IBA estimate that between 30,000 and 50,000 people in Scotland are without a usable UHF television service. The third phase of the joint BBC/IBA engineering programme aims to extend UHF coverage to all unserved areas with a population of less than 500, wherever this is practicable. Although no lower limit is specified, the cost of providing a service for communities of fewer than 200 is in practice likely to prove prohibitive.

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