HL Deb 18 July 2001 vol 626 c129WA
Baroness Blatch

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they have any plans to discontinue financial support for the BBC world short-wave service to North America and the Pacific Ocean area. [HL191]

Baroness Amos

The Government have granted the BBC World Service £64 million extra for 2001–04 to enable it to take forward plans to modernise equipment, including short-wave transmitters, and expand online and FM services globally. Operational decisions on resources allocation are for the World Service within the framework of overall objectives agreed with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. On other aspects of the question I refer the noble Baroness to the Answer I gave to Lord Quirk on 27 June,Official Report, cols. 354–357.