§ 37. Mr. Anthony CoombsTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what criteria are used in assessing need in the licensing of British Broadcasting Corporation local radio stations.
§ Mr. RentonThe BBC has been authorised for several years to extend its local radio services in accordance with the proposals- set out in reports by the Home Office working party on local radio, copies of which are in the Library, with the general aim of enabling the BBC to provide such services to as many listeners as practicable within its overall resources and subject to the availability of frequencies for sound broadcasting. It has since been for the BBC itself to decide whether to operate local radio services in the areas concerned.