BBC: Impartiality
Debate between Baroness Keeley and Baroness Twycross
Baroness Twycross (Lab)
I assume that, like all organisations in the public sector, the BBC will have internal processes to monitor this, and a social media policy.
Baroness Keeley (Lab)
My Lords, the BBC does incredible work at home and abroad but it has finite resources and, let us face it, is often under attack from politicians and other media outlets. Can my noble friend the Minister confirm that, unlike successive previous Administrations, which have too often sought to undermine the BBC and its public service role, this Government will act in a way that recognises the BBC’s key role in informing the public on complex issues and its great value to the creative industries?
Baroness Twycross (Lab)
I welcome my noble friend’s view on the BBC, which closely aligns with that of the Government. The BBC matters hugely to our public life and this Government are committed to supporting it so that it can succeed well into the future. In doing so, we will ensure that it is responsive to the public and able to tell inclusive stories about the lives of all people in all parts of the UK.
Olympic and Paralympic Games: Team GB
Debate between Baroness Keeley and Baroness Twycross
Baroness Twycross (Lab)
Yes, I would agree with the noble Baroness. Alongside the UK’s sports funding increase, the Government have also committed in our Autumn Budget to support elite and grass-roots sport by investing in multi-use facilities across the UK and scaling up work so that DCMS can deliver on plans for the UK and Ireland to host the 2028 UEFA European Football Championship.
Baroness Keeley (Lab)
My Lords, I declare my interests as in the register. In praising Team GB Olympic and Paralympic athletes for their continued success, I want to mention our Olympic head coach for athletics, the wonderful Paula Dunn. On community benefit from sport, in my former constituency in Salford, investment in the park tennis project has revitalised old tennis courts and is bringing people of all ages back to tennis. So I want to ask my noble friend the Minister: will the Government continue to invest in grass-roots facilities, including tennis and padel courts, particularly in areas of higher deprivation?
Baroness Twycross (Lab)
The importance of grass-roots sports facilities cannot be overstated. As I said in response to the previous question, the Government committed in the Autumn Budget to support grass-roots sport by investing in multi-use facilities across the UK. That will enable people such as those referred to by my noble friend to get the start in those sports that they need.