Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of merging BBC World News and BBC News Channel on the number of people in Africa who watch BBC news coverage.

The FCDO strongly supports the BBC's role in bringing high-quality and impartial news to African audiences, including where free speech is limited.

The BBC's proposal to merge BBC News and BBC World News forms part of their plan announced on 26 May to build a digital-first organisation, and means they will continue providing a 24-hour news channel for the UK and overseas.

We recognise that in the current fiscal context, the BBC, like other organisations, is facing difficult financial decisions. However, the BBC is operationally and editorially independent from Government, and decisions on service delivery are a matter for them.