Hansard

The BBC is one of our most valued and trusted institutions. Generations of families have grown up watching and enjoying BBC content. From the election night results to the world cup finals, and from children’s TV to the Open University, the BBC has educated, entertained, informed and united this country since it was founded in 1922. It is admired throughout the world as a public broadcaster funded by everyone that produces quality programming with a depth and a breadth that are not matched by any other broadcaster.

The charter process provides us with an opportunity to deliver a sustainable future for the BBC in an increasingly competitive landscape. The way in which content is viewed and shared has changed dramatically since the previous charter. The BBC must stay relevant in a time of smartphones, streaming and social media. This is a crucial charter for the corporation and we must rise to the challenge and ensure that it is forward looking.

We also have the opportunity to secure a good deal for BBC Scotland and the Scottish broadcasting industry. We have a lot of talent in Scotland and we need to look for opportunities to secure more commissioning and production in Scotland for network broadcast as well as for BBC Scotland. I will continue to argue for increased investment for Scotland, partly through a more effective quota system for production and commissioning, so that the benefits and effects are felt in Scotland.

We cannot ignore the fact that the charter renewal process takes place in a challenging financial context for the BBC. The UK Government’s decision that the BBC will fully cover the cost of the licence fee for over-75s will be the primary factor in the reduction of the BBC budget by almost 20 per cent by 2020-21. That will leave the BBC with a decade of declining resources, and the debate must take place in that context.

In recent months, I have welcomed the cabinet secretary’s invitations to take part in stakeholder events, and today I am content to work towards a common view in the Scottish Parliament in order to increase our influence over the charter process. I welcome the Education and Culture Committee’s report, which has made sensible and achievable recommendations, particularly in the light of the recent BBC settlement. The committee highlights the need for greater transparency from BBC Scotland and the BBC. I realise that the BBC has not always provided the most willing parliamentary witnesses, but the report has demonstrated a new relationship between the BBC and the Scottish Parliament, which must be welcomed.

The committee considered the proposal for a new service licence for the BBC’s services in Scotland and argued that that would provide greater budget transparency and accountability. Significantly, it would also give BBC Scotland greater flexibility and control, more opportunities for collaboration and the chance to generate savings that could be reinvested in more programming.

A common theme that has emerged from the charter process is that the BBC is too London-centric and that we need more investment in the regions and in Scotland through more decentralised decision making. In particular, the commissioning process is seen as too London based. It is thought that it does not give enough opportunities outwith the centre, which makes it difficult to build confidence and reputation, and that in turn leads to fewer commissioning opportunities.

Although the current charter committed to decentralisation of expenditure, the Ofcom definition of regional production has led to the spirit of that quota not being fulfilled—hence the term “lift and shift”. There is an argument that that model brings financial benefit to Scotland and utilises our studio space, but it does not do as much as it could to support the creative industries in Scotland.

The BBC can and should go further on commissioning and production and in addressing the flaws in the lift-and-shift model. The charter renewal process is the right time for the BBC to show that it is listening and to take action. It must improve the quota system in Scotland. The committee makes fair points about further decentralisation of decision making, commissioning and accompanying budgets.

A great expectation is being put on the BBC about what it can deliver for Scotland. I have a couple of comments on that. We should recognise what the BBC already delivers for Scotland and primarily what it delivers for the viewer. It delivers world-class broadcasting, online services and Scottish news and sport. Viewers in Scotland can watch “War and Peace” as easily as they can watch “Shetland”. In fact, 19 of every 20 adults in Scotland consume BBC content every week. The BBC offers a unique service that delivers a great deal for our creative industries. For example, the BBC is the most significant producer of live music for broadcasting. Much more can of course be done, but the BBC already does more than any other broadcaster.

The cabinet secretary was unfair yesterday when she said:

“Audience satisfaction ratings show the BBC has lost its way, and that Scots do not feel the corporation fully represents their views and interests.”

I have to ask where the evidence is for that statement. The Government frequently uses a figure from the BBC trust on whether people feel that their lives are reflected in the BBC and particularly in the news. The figure for Scotland of 48 per cent, which is not much different from the figures in other regions, comes from a poll with a relatively low sample size that lacked any context on why respondents felt that their lives were not being reflected. Was that because there is not enough Scottish content or because the Scottish content is too focused on the central belt? Alternatively, is there not enough ethnic minority or female representation?

It would be wrong to draw too many conclusions from the figure. For example, BBC audiences tell a different story. The figures for “Reporting Scotland” are increasing and it now has close to 600,000 viewers. The 2015 quarter 4 figures for “Good Morning Scotland” are the highest in 18 months. I welcome the BBC’s review of news coverage in Scotland, but any changes have to balance expanding the Scottish news coverage in response to changes in the Scottish Parliament with the continuing demand for quality international and European reporting, relevant United Kingdom political news, UK-wide sports coverage and shared-interest UK reporting.

The Education and Culture Committee report must be seen in the light of the report on the creative industries by the Economy, Energy and Tourism Committee. At times during the charter debate, there has been an assumption that it is the BBC’s responsibility to shape and grow our creative industries, but that cannot be seen as the only solution. We are still waiting for progress on a film and television studio—a proposal that is now stuck in the opaqueness of contract confidentiality and planning applications.

Creative Scotland, Scottish Enterprise and the Scottish Government have, so far, failed to deliver a film and TV studio. Not only Wales and Northern Ireland but now Liverpool and Yorkshire are overtaking us. The BBC must not be seen in isolation with regard to the creative industries; there is a role for us all to play.

The motion notes the Scottish Government’s policy paper. Although I agree with areas of the paper, there are proposals in it that I do not support. I strongly disagree with its opening comment that,

“In the absence of this current level of constitutional change, the BBC Charter process provides the opportunity to deliver elements of the policy vision for broadcasting in Scotland, which may eventually build towards a more significant level of constitutional change in this area.”

That is unacceptable politicisation of the BBC. The charter review is not about advancing the political agenda of the Scottish Government or the Scottish National Party. Changes to BBC governance are not designed to facilitate constitutional change. The Government’s paper loses sight of the viewer and, again, misinterprets the satisfaction ratings to justify a political position.

The Government’s key proposal, which the cabinet secretary outlined, for the BBC to move to a federal structure does not command support, as the Education and Culture Committee’s work showed. I do not believe that the majority of licence fee payers in Scotland would like that level of radical change and I am not convinced that it would benefit Scottish viewers. It would dilute the offer and quality for Scottish viewers and introduce a complex system of fees for network programming.

Many viewers in Scotland still remember the controversy about STV not showing programmes such as “Downton Abbey” and “Doc Martin”. People are likely to be concerned that the Scottish Government’s proposal could lead to a similar scenario in which an executive in Pacific Quay decides to prioritise one area at the expense of network content.

The strength and extent of network programming are strong arguments against a percentage licence fee figure being calculated for BBC Scotland. I support more investment in Scotland, but the Government’s proposal involves a blunt figure that does not reflect what we get in return for the licence fee: full BBC programming, radio, iPlayer and website content. It is right and fair that a proportion of our licence fee contributes towards that. To create an internal market for those services would be a disaster.

There will be robust exchanges over the BBC’s longer-term future, but I welcome the cabinet secretary’s intention to seek consensus for the task in hand, which is to ensure that the interests of Scottish licence fee payers, as well as those of the Parliament, BBC Scotland and our creative industries, are represented in the charter renewal process.

I move amendment S4M-15695.3, to leave out from “Scottish Government’s recent” to end and insert:

“views of the Scottish Government in its recent policy paper, alongside the views of all political parties, creative industries and licence fee-payers in Scotland on 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 the Parliament’s views fully in its ongoing discussions with the UK Government in the development of its white paper on BBC charter renewal.”