CUTS TO THE BBC WORLD SERVICE

Early day motion 864, tabled 25 October 2005 by Austin Mitchell (Labour). Signed by 131 members.

That this House expresses its concern at the decision of the Government and the BBC to close the Bulgarian, Croatian, Czech, Greek, Hungarian, Polish, Slovak, Slovene, Kazak and Thai language services and to downgrade other services in Hindi and those serving Brazil; believes that at its best the BBC World Service can challenge corruption, expose human rights abuses and promote democratic values; further believes that to measure such concepts purely in terms of audience numbers and financial considerations does not do justice to their importance; notes that such measures may reduce British influence in key parts of Europe and the rest of the world; and therefore calls on the Government to review the decision to close the services and to provide adequate resources to maintain current services.

Signatures by party: Labour 74, Conservative 21, Liberal Democrat 21, DUP 5, Plaid Cymru 3, Scottish National Party 3, Social Democratic and Labour Party 2, Respect 1, UUP 1.