Meeting of the Parliament 23 February 2016
This has been an interesting debate in which, at times, we seem to have veered away from the issue that we are here to discuss. I do not want any political or personal control of the BBC; I want good-quality TV and radio that reflects the community that I represent and that represents value for the people of Scotland.
From the initial investigations of the Education and Culture Committee up to and including today’s debate, the one thing that everyone—witnesses who came before the committee and contributors to the debate—has agreed on is that the BBC is valued. Some people expressed to the committee their great affection for the BBC, because it provides a unique broadcasting service and does so across platforms, and many of those who gave evidence that could have been deemed to have been critical of the BBC did so in a very positive manner. In effect, they were asking how a very good public broadcaster could be made even better and how the BBC could serve modern Scotland’s needs.
Therefore, what we are considering today is the continued evolution of the BBC in Scotland. As many of my colleagues have said, this is the first time that the Scottish Government and Parliament have had a formal role in the charter renewal process, so we must ensure that Scotland’s voice is heard during that process. It is important that the amount of licence fee that is raised here, whether it is £323 million or the £335 million that my colleague Gordon MacDonald mentioned—part of the problem appears to be that the BBC does not know what the figure is—fully delivers for Scotland.
There was much said at committee by people in television production about how BBC Scotland’s having commissioning powers could make a difference to local production, and they were correct. It is time for us to be bold and to look at things in a different way. In its written submission, Independent Producers Scotland said:
“We are subject to the imperial power of the BBC, centred in London. They do not ‘get’ the new Scotland and its independent spirit. We want to see change, a shift in emphasis in the relationship between the BBC and BBC Scotland, between BBC Scotland and independent producers in Scotland, between BBC Scotland and its audience. This is an opportunity to be bold, taking initiatives that are sustainable and for the long term rather than a ‘quick fix’ in response to the immediate political situation.”
That shows that people want to work with the BBC to take a different approach.