To ask the President of the Board of Trade what plans his Department has for the allocation of the Channel 35 frequency for analogue or digital use. [39742]

The Government announced on 16 September the arrangements for the future of frequency Channel 35. Channel 5 Broadcasting will have access to the frequency for five years to enhance the population coverage of its service. As the market for advanced digital services develops, channel 35 will be redeployed to facilitate the new broadcasting opportunities. The arrangements oblige Channel 5 Broadcasting to inform viewers in areas using Channel 35, at the point of their VCR retuning campaign, that access to the channel is time limited and that Channel 5 will need to consider other options for reception at the end of the five-year period.