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Austria (British Broadcasts)

Volume 466: debated on Wednesday 22 June 1949

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28.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he will make a statement on the proposed use of an Austrian radio station for the re-diffusion of the British Broadcasting Corporation's foreign language broadcasts.

Yes, Sir. The British Broadcasting Corporation's foreign language broadcasts to Germany, Italy and South-Eastern Europe are re-broadcast regularly by the former Nazi 100 kilowatt transmitter at Graz-Dobel in the British zone of Austria. The transmitter is under the direct control of the British occupation authorities and the use to which it is put is solely the responsibility of His Majesty's Government. The running costs of the station are paid by the British Broadcasting Corporation in sterling at the rate of about £15,000 a year.

As the Austrian Chancellor, Dr. Figl, recently said, speaking of the B.B.C., that transmissions were reaching a point in Austria where the Austrian people were being asked to pay for a great deal of foreign propaganda to which they did not want to listen, and as there seems to be a decent chance now of getting a peace treaty with Austria, can the right hon. Gentleman try to influence the B.B.C. at least not to extend their broadcasting from Austria?

If Dr. Figl said that he could not have been referring to the British Government, because he does not pay anything. We pay for this, so it must have been some other Government that he had in mind.

In stating that this broadcasting station is under the sole control of the British authorities, is not the Foreign Secretary aware that hitherto this broadcasting station has been at the disposal of the Austrian authorities for broadcasts in the Austrian language; that only within the last two or three weeks has a peremptory order been given that they must now be diverted to foreign language broadcasts at the expense of the Austrian people; that this is the only effective broadcasting station which is at the command of the Austrian people and that it will be difficult for the Austrian people to appreciate why at this stage, after four years' occupation, we should now seek to take over such facilities on the sole ground that we are the occupying authority?

In view of that last supplementary question, would the right hon. Gentleman like to reconsider the previous answer which he just gave to me?

The answer I gave was perfectly correct. The hon. Member said that what the Austrians were complaining of was that they were made to pay, and I told the hon. Member that as we were paying them they could not have been referring to us.