Hansard

I, too, congratulate Jeremy Purvis on securing this timely debate.

As we have heard, tonight, the Border TV region will make history by becoming the first area in Scotland and the second in the UK to switch from an analogue television signal to a digital one. However, rather than being a proud moment for the region, it could well be one of embarrassment, because reception in the Borders is among the worst in the UK. As Jeremy Purvis said, Ofcom has reported that the Border TV region has the lowest percentage of households that can currently receive digital television through an aerial, with a figure of just 51 per cent. Nearly half of the Borders population will not know whether their preparation for the switchover has been successful until the changeover happens tomorrow. That could create further complications when the switchover occurs, with confusion among the electorate muddling the switchover even more.

The changeover to digital television has been heralded as providing a wide viewing selection, with more than 40 channels available to the audience. One would think that all areas would be able to reap the benefits of such an improvement. However, although Ofcom reports that an average of 90 per cent of households in the UK will be able to receive the 40 channels after switchover, that figure does not hold true for the Borders, where barely more than 50 per cent of the population will be able to receive the 40 channels. The figure is significantly lower than that in the second-worst-served area, Wales, where 73 per cent of households will be able to watch all 40 digital channels. The reason for the discrepancy is that main transmitters, such as the one at Selkirk in the Borders, carry all six multiplexes, whereas relay transmitters, of which there are 11 in the Borders, carry only three multiplexes. That is disappointing for the Borders region and entirely unfair to the residents in my constituency and Mr Purvis's constituency of Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale. Yet again, the Borders is being short-changed.

As well as there being the obvious discrepancy in availability throughout the Borders, many unanswered questions remain about the digital switchover. For example, why can we not have local BBC Radio Selkirk news bulletins via digital audio broadcasting—DAB—radio after the switchover? That is yet another blow to the local news service. Furthermore, what is being done to protect the old bandwidth from being auctioned off to a commercial operator? I hope that Scottish Borders Council will fight for that valuable resource for the Borders—which will give more opportunity for local broadcasting, particularly local news—and will not allow the bandwidth to be sold to a large multinational company with no local interest in the Borders. The confusion from the digital switchover raises many questions that should have been answered long before now. I hope that the uncertainties will be resolved in the coming days and weeks.

As the Borders is one of the first UK areas to move to digital television, we should serve as the leader for the rest of the country. However, the example for the rest of the country will be one of what to avoid and will demonstrate how necessary it is to prepare a whole region properly for such an important change. At a time when the Borders could have been at the forefront of technology for the entire United Kingdom, we find ourselves a rather ill-prepared test case and a lesson for the country in the importance of organisation and preparation before such drastic changes are implemented.