§ 57. Mr. Dykesasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the progress being made in the development of the cable television industry in the United Kingdom.
§ Mr. Giles ShawThe operators of the interim cable franchises awarded in November 1983 have faced a212W number of difficulties associated with developing a new industry. The Government have, however, been pleased to note the substantial progress made this autumn as five more of the systems become operational, making seven of the eleven who have reached this stage. This will be important in enlarging the market for cable programme services, in terms of both the size of the potential audience and the capacity for more channels. As a result, a number of new programme channels have already been created and wider experience is being developed of the new generation of cable systems which will help investment decisions in relation to future systems. The Cable Authority has embarked on a franchising programme designed to encourage the installation of more systems as quickly as possible; it awarded its first five franchises in August and is now considering applications for another five.
My hon. Friend the Minister for Information Technology has recently announced that his Department will be making £5 million support available over the next five years to promote the increased use of advanced interactive services over wideband cable systems. My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary shares his hope that this will provide a significant boost to this important sector of the cable industry.