Meeting of the Parliament 23 February 2016
Part of the investigation that was done by the committee of which Mark Griffin is a member looked at the provision of funding from the BBC. We identified about £100 million of additional funding that we could get into Scotland. What is not as clear for the network provision that we have from Scotland is how much we can produce in Scotland. Part of the debate that I had yesterday and the discussions that I am having with the BBC is about how we achieve decentralisation. Is it by subject and content, genre or country?
I think that decentralising the budget on a Scotland basis is the way forward, but there are different ways of proceeding. That needs to be part of the on-going discussions that we can and should have and will be part of the discussions that I have with Tony Hall next Monday.
Our proposal would require not new money but the reallocation of funds to Scotland up front, instead of the spend that is allocated to Scotland being qualified retrospectively, as is currently the case. Our approach would allow BBC Scotland to develop and implement a strategic plan and to be held to account for its strategic decision making in Scotland by audiences and by the Parliament in a much more accountable way than is currently the case. That would transform how the BBC operates in Scotland and empower it to play a central role in supporting a sustainable production sector by providing up to an additional £1 billion of investment in our creative sector over the 10-year period of the charter.
A further product of decentralising the structure, decision making and funding of the BBC would be the opportunity to deliver benefits for audiences in Scotland through the provision, over the charter period, of additional linear or digital channels across radio and TV for listeners and viewers in Scotland. Initially, as the BBC suggested, that could be through a specific iPlayer splash page for Scotland that highlighted Scotland-produced content. However, over time, additional production should support further channels over the next charter period.
It is surely not too much to expect that, with the current degree of technological innovation, the iPlayer should be able to be tailored to the user’s location, so if I chose to watch the BBC 10 o’clock news via the iPlayer in Scotland, I would get “Reporting Scotland” at the end rather than the BBC London news as is currently the case.
At the centre of the proposal—and as a product of increased production in Scotland—would be additional content, which would support new TV and radio channels as well as providing more content that was produced in Scotland for UK TV and radio networks.
The director general of the BBC referred to the delivery of additional platforms for Scotland. He said:
“However ... we also need to think about how we ensure that the audiences of the future can have the content that they want where they want it. That applies to younger audiences in particular, but it includes many of us, too. In that respect, it seems that building an online channel is important.”—[Official Report, Education and Culture Committee, 12 January 2016; c 14.]
Let me be clear that this is a great opportunity for Scotland, but we must not lose our focus. Changes to the delivery of news would be welcome, for example, but we do not need the charter review to deliver those changes. The BBC should be seeking to constantly improve its output and we have set out in the policy paper such areas, which include news and current affairs.
I am sure that we can all recall the bad old days and the frustration of hearing the dreaded words, “Except for viewers in Scotland.” That was an off-hand phrase, but it starkly illustrated just how the BBC in Scotland really viewed its viewers here. Therefore I am pleased that the BBC in Scotland is consciously working to make itself more relevant and representative. However, there is still much to do.
I reassure members that my vision for charter renewal is born from my unerring support of the value of the BBC, of the need for a strong, independent BBC and, crucially, of the need for a BBC that can deliver better outcomes for Scotland. I look forward to the debate and to the speeches from across the chamber, which will contribute to shaping how we continue to play a central role in the next crucial phases of the BBC charter renewal process.
I move,
That the Parliament notes its own new formal role in the BBC charter renewal process and that of the Scottish Government, which is to be consulted throughout the process of developing the BBC charter by the UK Government; recognises the important role that publicly-funded, public service broadcasting plays in reflecting a nation to itself and to the wider world; agrees with the recommendations of the Education and Culture Committee regarding BBC charter renewal and the future of broadcasting in Scotland; notes the Scottish Government’s recent policy paper informing the ongoing development of the BBC charter; welcomes the emerging consensus for more decentralised decision making for the BBC, and urges the Scottish Government to reflect these views fully in its ongoing discussions with the UK Government in the development of its white paper on BBC charter renewal.
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