§ Mr. LawsTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his estimate is of the net cost to his Department of(a) the London Radio Service and (b) the British Satellite News, in each year from 1996–97 to 2003–04 (planned); what the purpose is of these two services; and if he will make a statement. [99122]
§ Mr. MacShane[holding answer 26 February 2003]: LRS and BSN were established in order to promote Britain and HMG's policies overseas.
The net cost of London Radio Service (LRS) was as follows:
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- 1 August 1997 to 31 July 1998: £1.400 million
- 1 August 1998 to 31 July 1999: £1.426 million
- 1 August 1999 to 31 July 2000: £1.458 million
- 1 August 2000 to 30 September 2001: £1.820 million
- 1 October 2001 to 30 September 2002: £1.573 million at which point the service was terminated.
The net cost of British Satellite News is as follows:
- 1 October 1997 to 30 September 1998: £1.676 million
- 1 October 1998 to 30 September 1999: £1.703 million
- 1 October 1999 to 30 September 2000: £1.718 million
- 1 October 2000 to 30 September 2001: £2.182 million
- 1 October 2001 to 30 September 2002: £2.221 million
- 1 October 2002 to 30 September 2003: £1.25 million at which point BSN was streamlined from a global service to one that focused primarily on the Islamic and Arab world.
Planned BSN cost for 2001–04 is £1.25 million.