§ Mr. Forthasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement about the experiment in special event radio.
§ Mr. HurdIn reply to a question from my hon. Friend the Member for Thanet, North (Mr. Gale) on 28 January 1986 at col 486, I announced a two year experiment in licensing low-powered transmitters to provide information or other services to those attending the sites of festivals, county shows, sporting events and so on. Up to 25 licences were to be made available each year, with provision for reissue of licences to cover broadcasts at more than one event on separate occasions at the same site.
During 1986, 32 applications for licences were received. Some of these were subsequently withdrawn, and one was refused because it did not meet the criteria for the experiment. A total of 13 licences were issued in respect of 31 corporate events. These included festivals, rallies, shows and sporting events.
Licences during the second year of the experiment in 1987 will be available on the same basis as in 1986. Applications should reach the Home Office by 31 January 1987. Details of the licence conditions and procedure are set out in notes for the guidance of potential applicants, available from the Home Office. The subject of special event broadcasting will be included in the Green Paper on radio policy.