Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to ensure the BBC World Service is able to continue broadcasting to audiences in regions impacted by censorship and media regulations.

The BBC are operationally and editorially independent and decide the most effective and efficient way to deliver the BBC World Service.

At a time where media freedom is under threat across the world, the World Service provides impartial accurate news to a global audience of 320 million.

It reaches audiences living in authoritarian and conflict-affected states, where accurate information is most restricted. 75 per cent of its audience are based in countries with low or no media freedom.