Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of Ofcom's proposal to make Regional Secondary Locators optional for amateur radio licensees on the awareness of the (a) diversity and (b) unique nature of the nations of the UK by international audiences.

Ofcom has assured us that it does recognise that Regional Secondary Locators (RSLs) have strong significance for some radio amateurs. Given this, Ofcom proposes to amend the licence and make the use of an RSL optional for licensees, while retaining the right for those that wish to use an RSL to continue to do so. This will avoid situations in which RSL users could breach their licence when crossing borders between nations.

Internationally, the use of an RSL is not mandated or provided for by the overarching regulatory framework set out by the International Telecoms Union Radio Regulations.