BBC World Service: Overseas Aid

(asked on 29th January 2021) - View Source

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect of reducing ODA and non-ODA funding in 2021 on the BBC World Service programming and reach.


Answered by
Nigel Adams Portrait
Nigel Adams
This question was answered on 5th February 2021

The FCDO strongly values the work of the BBC World Service in promoting our values globally through its independent and impartial broadcasting. We have provided the World Service with over £378m over 5 years (2016-21) through the World2020 programme, in order to fund enhancements to existing language services and 12 new language services. The remainder of the World Service language services are funded through the licence fee.

The World Service now reaches a record breaking 351 million people weekly, an over 40% increase since the programme began in 2016, demonstrating the impact of FCDO investment. Future funding for the World Service is being considered alongside other FCDO spending priorities at Spending Review 2020 (SR20).

Reticulating Splines