asked the Assistant Postmaster-General what action, other than sending forms to fill up, the head postmaster at Brighton has taken concerning the complaints of over 50 householders on and around the Brangwyn Estates, Brighton, about television interference; how many times these householders have been asked to fill in forms in the past few months; and what he will do to stop the interference.

As I have explained in a recent letter to my hon. Friend, there must be some misunderstanding. I am advised that the television signal is good, and very few complaints are received from the estate. As regards filling up of forms, all that has been done is to ask certain of the householders, who had complained, to keep the usual two week record to assist in tracing interference. Only one has so far supplied the information; I am, however, arranging for the engineers to make further tests on the estate.

Is my hon. Friend aware that, in the last two or three days, I have had seven letters and a petition signed by no fewer than 14 people in the district to say that they are suffering from this problem, and would he, therefore, make a determined effort that the engineers shall study this matter and not leave it to the ordinary Post Office officials, who carry out their work during the ordinary hours of the day and not necessarily during the hours when television is on?

As there has been some conflict of testimony as to the conditions, I have arranged for the engineers to go on to the Estate again.

Is the hon. Gentleman aware that the cause of this interference is largely due to helicopters hovering about?

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General why the Principality of Wales, and especially the province of Gwynedd, continues to be badly served in the matter of reception of the Welsh Home Service: and what action he contemplates to remedy the position.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General if he is aware that the reception of the Welsh Home Service in Anglesey continues to be unsatisfactory; and what steps he is taking to ensure that the Welsh people can hear their own programme.

The B.B.C. know that in some parts of Wales and Anglesey reception of the Welsh Home Service is not satisfactory. It is not possible to make any major improvement because no new stations operating on the present medium wave length can be fitted in, and because no additional medium wave lengths are available. As the hon. Members know, the B.B.C. hope that very high frequency broadcasting may in the long run be the answer to our problems here.

Is the hon. Gentleman aware that this is a pressing problem in Wales, where some hundreds of thousands of Welsh people are unable to receive the only programme in which they are really interested, that this is a special case calling for special action, that talk about very high frequency modulation is of no use, and that he should expend on this pressing Welsh problem one-tenth of the energy which is most regrettably used up in promoting commercial television?

I must correct the hon. Gentleman. There are no available wave lengths which can be allotted for this part of Wales. The solution, the B.B.C. are convinced, lies in the direction of very high frequency.

Could not the hon. Gentleman press forward with the provision of subordinate transmitters or boosters along the coasts of Wales? It has been tried previously, I think, with some substantial improvement. Is anything being done about this position, because it is getting worse every month?

It is not a question of nothing being done, but the proposal of the B.B.C. is to tackle this problem by the only method which they consider to be satisfactory, and that is by V.H.F.

Are we to understand, therefore, that this very important area is to be left completely unserved until the new scheme comes into operation?

There will not be any dramatic improvement in the situation until the very high frequency stations come into operation.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General if he will make a statement on the results of the consultations that have taken place between the Angus Burgh Association and the British Broadcasting Corporation regarding problems of poor radio reception in the county.

The British Broadcasting Corporation have informed me that they have told the Angus Burgh Association that they are aware of the unsatisfactory reception of the Scottish Home Service in the County of Angus, and that they have fully considered the needs of this area in drawing up proposals for development of very high frequency broadcasting. As hon. Members are aware, these proposals are at present being considered by my noble Friend.

Is the hon. Gentleman aware that reception of the Light Programme, particularly in the Dundee area, is very bad and that the great majority of listeners cannot receive it? Will he not look into the question here, as in Wales, of providing booster stations now instead of pursuing the long-term policy of V.H.F. broadcasting?

I am not a technician, but I am informed that booster stations will not help very much and that the real way to tackle the problem is by the provision of V.H.F. stations. I hope that it will not be long before I am in a position to make a statement on the development of V.H.F. broadcasting.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General what tests for television broadcasts have taken place on Band III; and on what channels.

A number of radio manufacturers are carrying out experimental and development work in this band and the B.B.C. are also conducting tests. The tests have not been confined to specific channels.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General what channels have been allocated to the British Broadcasting Corporation on Band III.

None, Sir. Full coverage of the B.B.C.'s present television programme is catered for in Band I. If, however, the hon. Member is referring to the possibility of the B.B.C. doing a second programme in Band III, I would remind him that the Corporation does not plan to start such a programme before 1957.

Is it proposed to allocate two channels to the B.B.C. in Band III?

A decision has to be reached yet as to whether the B.B.C. is to have a second programme.

Are we to understand that, in order that this field may be monopolised by private interests, the Government may refuse the B.B.C. a second programme, which the B.B.C. offered to provide, an offer which completely demolishes the Government's idea that the B.B.C. is not willing to institute a competitive service?

If the right hon. Gentleman puts his question slightly differently, I can give him a straight answer. The B.B.C. has put forward a 10-year development plan, which includes a second programme, but no decision has been taken yet as to whether that development plan is to be fully accepted.

Why is the B.B.C. experimenting on Band III when it is proposed that, if the B.B.C. has a second programme, it will be broadcast on Band II?

I think that the hon. Member is incorrect. If the B.B.C. does have a second programme it will be broadcast in Band III.

asked the Assistant Postmaster-General what services it is proposed to remove from Band III.

The land mobile services will need to move from Band III, and this would release two channels. Some of the other services listed in my reply of the 29th July, 1953, may also need to be moved, but the full extent of these moves can only be determined as television development proceeds.

Does the hon. Gentleman not think that his decision is grossly unfair to those who are already using Band III and that it puts them to a great deal of unnecessary expenditure purely in order to have sponsored television?

The two channels allotted to commercial television are two channels which are already available. As to mobile services, one of the conditions of the licences, which they fully understood when the licences were taken out, was that they might have to move from that Band.

Is it not correct that these services have been promised other facilities in another Band?

They would not be taken off the air.