asked Her Majesty's Government:

Further to the Written Answer by Lord Davies of Oldham on 10 July (WA 91), whether Freesat will be available from UTV in Northern Ireland; and where in the United Kingdom are the 2 per cent of households for which Freesat is unavailable. [HL4935]

Estimated satellite coverage for Freesat in Northern Ireland is the same as the rest of the UK (98 per cent of households), as the UTV region is representative of the UK in terms of satellite reception conditions.

The 2 per cent of households that cannot receive satellite transmissions are spread across the UK. We do not have exact details of these locations.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Further to the Written Answer by Lord Davies of Oldham on 10 July (WA 91–92), whether the timing of digital switchover in the Republic of Ireland will have any influence on the proposed switchover in Northern Ireland in 2012. [HL4936]

The Irish Government have not yet set a date for digital switchover in Ireland; Northern Ireland is scheduled to switch over in 2012. We are currently consulting the relevant authorities and regulators over switchover plans and will work to minimise any disruption.