§ Dr. HowellsTo ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage on what occasions since her appointment(a) she or her Ministers and (b) her officials have held meetings with (i) the chief executive of S4C, (ii) the chairman of the Welsh Fourth Channel Authority and (iii) members of the Welsh Fourth Channel Authority. [11069]
§ Mr. Sproat[holding answer 23 January 1996]: Ministers and officials have held meetings with the chairman and chief executive of S4C, as with other bodies for which my Department is responsible, from time to time. Most recently, the Under-Secretary of State, Lord Inglewood, met the chairman and chief executive of S4C to discuss the Broadcasting Bill on Monday 15 January.
§ Dr. HowellsTo ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if she will place in the Library all correspondence sent by her Department to the chairman or members of the Welsh Fourth Channel Authority or to the chief executive of S4C communicating the Department's intention to change the funding basis of S4C. [11071]
§ Mr. Sproat[holding answer 23 January 1996]: I have placed in the Library of both Houses a copy of my right
£ million Estimated outturn Spending plans 19941 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 Not applicable 64.0 67.9 73.3 75.3 77.3 1The figures for the 1994 calendar year did not appear in the table to which the hon. Member refers. In 1994, S4C received £57.971 million from the Department of National Heritage.
§ Dr. HowellsTo ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if she will express as a percentage the year on year increase in the figures for the Welsh Fourth Channel Authority for 1994–95 To 1998–99
Estimated Outturn 1994–95 Outturn 1995–96 1996–97 Spending Plans 1997–98 1998–99 £ million 64.0 67.0 73.3 75.3 77.3 Percentage increase between above figures 6.0 7.9 2.7 2.7
§ Dr. HowellsTo ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what are her estimates of S4C income for the years(a) 1997, (b) 1998 and (c) 1999 and (d) 2000 taking into account the changes she announced on 15 December 1995; and if she will additionally express these figures as a year on year percentage change. [11078]
348Whon. Friend's letter to the chairman of S4C of 15 December.
§ Dr. HowellsTo ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage (1) whether the figures for the Welsh Fourth Channel Authority spending plans in the years 1997–98 and 1998–99 contained in table 2 of her press release of 28 November 1995, were calculated on the basis of the planned new formula for calculating S4C income announced on 15 December 1995; [11073]
(2) what is her estimate of the funding of the Welsh Fourth Channel Authority from her Department in the calendar years (a) 1997, (b) 1998, (c) 1999 and (d) 2000 if no change were to take place in the basis of funding S4C; and if she will additionally express these figures as a year on year percentage change. [11077]
§ Mr. Sproat[holding answer 23 January 1996]: The figure for 1996–97, contained in the press release to which the hon. Gentleman refers, derives from best available estimates of the application of the Broadcasting Act 1990 formula, although uncertainties for later years led the Department to uprate the estimated 1996–97 figure by £2 million for each of the following years for planning purposes in the expectation that additional funding would be found if needed in later years of the survey to meet S4C's statutory entitlement.
§ Dr. HowellsTo ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if she will express the income of S4C on a calendar year basis from 1994–1999, inclusive using the financial spending plan figures for the Welsh Fourth Channel Authority contained in table 2 of her press release of 28 November 1995. [11076]
§ Mr. Sproat[holding answer 23 January 1996]: The information the hon. Member requests, based on the particular table he specifies, is as follows:
which were issued in table 2 of her press release of 29 November 1995. [11074]
§ Mr. Sproat[holding answer 23 January 1996]: The information the hon. Member requests is as follows:
§ Mr. Sproat[holding answer 23 January 1996]: My Department estimates that S4C funding in 1997 will be in the region of £73.3 million, but that figure cannot be assessed with certainty at this stage. Firm estimates of income for S4C in later years deriving from the proposals in the Bill cannot be made until the level of payment to S4C for 1997 is finalised.
349W
§ Dr. HowellsTo ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what are her estimates of the percentage change in qualifying terrestial advertising revenue year-on-year for(a) 1994–95, (b) 1995–96, (c) 1996–97, (d) 1997–98 and (e) 1998–99; and if she will additionally express these as calendar year percentage changes for the years (i) 1994, (ii) 1995 (iii) 1996, (iv) 1997 and (v) 1998. [11075]
§ Mr. Sproat[holding answer 23 January 1996]: My Department does not compile estimations of terrestrial television advertising revenues. That is a matter for the Independent Television Commission.
§ Dr. HowellsTo ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage (1) when her Department communicated the intention to change S4C's funding basis to the Welsh Fourth Channel Authority and the chief executive of S4C; [11070]
(2) when she or her Ministers or officials told the Welsh Office of their plans to change the funding basis of S4C. [11072]
§ Mr. Sproat[holding answer 23 January 1996]: The Broadcasting Bill was published on 15 December 1995. It reflected discussions with all interested Government Departments. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State spoke and wrote to the chairman of S4C on the morning of 15 December about the contents of the Bill.