By Sophie Monks Kaufman
The BBC World Service will be “damaged” by cuts taking place over the next four years, according to the Service’s Director.
Speaking last week to a parliamentary committee, Director Peter Horrocks said: “The World Service will be damaged. We are less able to carry out our mission for our audiences and for Britain than we were previously.”
He went on to criticise the government office currently responsible for the World Service’s budget. “The Foreign Office is in a business that’s different to the BBC,” said Horrocks. “Its understanding of the choices that we needed to make is not something it is set up to deal with.”
The World Service is funded by the UK government through Parliamentary Grant-in-Aid, which amounted this year (2010/2011) to £236.7 million. However, from 2014/15 responsibility for funding will pass over to the BBC.
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