The Foreign Affairs Committee is to carry out an inquiry into the impact of service closures and other cuts on the BBC World Service, it was announced yesterday.

The service closures and cuts at the service, announced yesterday by director of global news Peter Horrocks, follow a cut in government funding last year which left the broadcaster needing to find savings of more than 16 per cent.

The BBC proposals include the loss of up to 650 jobs and the closure of five full language services and radio programmes in seven other languages.

In a release, the committee said it will take oral evidence from representatives of World Service staff, management and the government in March.

Organisations and individuals interested in making written submissions can do so until 11 February.

The National Union of Journalists, which yesterday held a protest outside the World Service demonstrating against the cuts, had already written to the committee chair Richard Ottaway and the chair of the Culture, Media and Sport Committee John Whittingdale, calling on them to review the BBC's plans.

Speaking at the protest yesterday the NUJ's general secretary Jeremy Dear said the campaign would not rest until the cuts are overturned.

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