Chamber
Meeting of the Parliament 23 February 2016
23 Feb 2016 · S4 · Meeting of the Parliament
Item of business
BBC Charter Renewal
The BBC seemed to recognise those difficulties. We welcome Lord Hall’s commitments in that area.
It is vital that the BBC makes a firm commitment to maintaining a Gaelic language channel and, indeed, to increasing what it produces for BBC Alba to the same level as that which is produced for the Welsh language channel.
This debate offers us an opportunity to unite and speak with one voice as Scotland’s Parliament in our desire to see a better outcome for BBC Scotland, our creative industries and the people of Scotland.
16:36In the same item of business
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Elaine Smith)
Lab
The next item is a debate on motion S4M-15695, in the name of Fiona Hyslop, on the BBC charter renewal process. 15:55
The Cabinet Secretary for Culture, Europe and External Affairs (Fiona Hyslop)
SNP
I am delighted to open this debate on the BBC charter renewal process. I thank the Parliament for the key role that it has played in the process. From the ou...
John Finnie (Highlands and Islands) (Ind)
Ind
I am grateful to the cabinet secretary for taking an intervention. Parity of esteem between the Gaelic and Welsh languages is an important factor. Would she ...
Fiona Hyslop
SNP
I will not just comment on that, because the idea is part of our proposals, as the member will know if he has read our document. Only yesterday, I raised dir...
Mark Griffin (Central Scotland) (Lab)
Lab
Does the cabinet secretary have an idea of what the proportionate contribution to the central resource would be?
Fiona Hyslop
SNP
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 abo...
Claire Baker (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab)
Lab
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 ...
Liz Smith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con)
Con
I issue the apologies of my colleague Mary Scanlon, who had hoped to take part in the debate but, unfortunately, is not well. This is an important debate, w...
Liam McArthur (Orkney Islands) (LD)
LD
As I have family members who are current and former BBC employees, I start by declaring an interest. I am acutely aware that the institution has its shortco...
Chic Brodie (South Scotland) (SNP)
SNP
Will the member take an intervention?
The Deputy Presiding Officer (John Scott)
Con
The member is in his last 20 seconds.
Liam McArthur
LD
—appeared to distance themselves from it under questioning from the committee. In part, that may have been because no one appeared to have a detailed assessm...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
Con
Will the member draw to a close, please?
Liam McArthur
LD
I know that Fiona Hyslop feels that accepting my amendment would result in a rather clumsy motion. That is not something that has concerned Parliament unduly...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
Con
We come to the open debate. I call Stewart Maxwell, who will speak on behalf of the Education and Culture Committee. Mr Maxwell, you have up to six minutes. ...
Stewart Maxwell (West Scotland) (SNP)
SNP
As the Presiding Officer mentioned, I take the slightly unusual step of speaking, in a Government debate, as convener of the Education and Culture Committee....
The Deputy Presiding Officer
Con
You should draw to a close, please.
Stewart Maxwell
SNP
The BBC seemed to recognise those difficulties. We welcome Lord Hall’s commitments in that area. It is vital that the BBC makes a firm commitment to maintai...
Ken Macintosh (Eastwood) (Lab)
Lab
I am pleased and relieved that this is a relatively consensual debate about the future of the BBC. I am relieved because—I make no bones about this—I take a ...
Chic Brodie (South Scotland) (SNP)
SNP
The BBC has been a foundation of our community for the past century, and it will remain so. Inevitably, though, a large communication company that covers all...
Ken Macintosh
Lab
Will the member take an intervention?
Chic Brodie
SNP
No, I will not. The charter renewal process should and must embrace our input, in the context of proportionality, identity, diversity, creativity and cultur...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
Con
Many thanks for your brevity. 16:47
Gordon MacDonald (Edinburgh Pentlands) (SNP)
SNP
Over the past year, two parliamentary committees have conducted inquiries into the BBC’s performance in Scotland and, with cross-party support, concluded tha...
Ken Macintosh
Lab
Will the member give way?
Gordon MacDonald
SNP
No, I want to get through the numbers. Does the BBC really spend our contribution on those things? The BBC could not provide any detail on how it arrived a...
John Pentland (Motherwell and Wishaw) (Lab)
Lab
Being politicians, it is natural that a lot of what we think about the BBC is determined by its political output. After all, what could be more important tha...
George Adam (Paisley) (SNP)
SNP
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 o...
Ken Macintosh
Lab
Does George Adam believe that all the money that is raised in Scotland should be spent in Scotland, or does he believe that some of it should be spent on, fo...
George Adam
SNP
I think that a contribution should be made to all that, as well. By its very nature, the BBC is that type of organisation. I am saying, as I have right from ...