BBC ASIAN NETWORK

That this House notes with great concern the BBC's plan to close the digital radio station BBC Asian Network; supports the station's unique position at the heart of the Asian community since it began in the Midlands in 1988; congratulates the station on its role as a media space for British, Asian content and culture and as a bridge between Asian youth and the mainstream BBC; further notes that the BBC has a responsibility to give a platform to minority interests and to reach wider audiences; and calls on the Government to support and encourage the national role of the BBC Asian Network as a platform for British Asian culture to further develop and grow.