§ Mr. Hanleyasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what action the Government have taken on the Report of the review of the BBC external services which was published on 4 February 1985.
§ Mr. EggarWe have had intensive discussions with the BBC since the report was published in February 1985. A wide measure of agreement has been reached with the BBC on the report's recommendations, including agreement on the central proposal for multi-annual funding. The Government believe that the report provides a firm foundation for the future development of the external services and that implementation of the report's recommendations, on which considerable progress has already been made, will lead to real improvements in the efficiency and economy with which the external services are run.