BBC Royal Charter: Gaelic Broadcasting

Debate between Baroness MacLeod of Camusdarach and Baroness Twycross

Thursday 16th July 2026 Lords Chamber

[Baroness MacLeod of Camusdarach (Lab)]

I beg leave to ask the Question standing in my name on the Order Paper and I declare an interest as a member of the development board of Sabhal Mòr Ostaig, a Gaelic college on the island of Skye.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Culture, Media and Sport (Baroness Twycross) (Lab)]

My Lords, the Government are clear about the vital role of Gaelic broadcasting: the BBC belongs to all of us and must reflect every community it serves. Charter review aims to put the BBC on a sustainable financial footing so that it can continue to deliver wide public value, including through the provision of Gaelic broadcasting. Alongside this, proposals detailed in the media Green Paper aim to ensure the long-term sustainability of public service media, including through minority-language broadcasting.

[Baroness MacLeod of Camusdarach (Lab)]

I am grateful for the Minister’s reply. It certainly is a step forward. Gaelic is one of the UK’s indigenous languages, and it is much older than English. It is fighting for its life, although the number of Gaelic speakers is increasing, and Gaelic broadcasting is pivotal in that role. Although MG Alba was created by legislation at Westminster, there has been no UK funding since the Lord Speaker left the other House. S4C in Wales is funded by the licence fee, with £22 million for programmes and £96 million in cash. BBC Alba gets no cash from the licence fee, only £10 million in kind from the BBC and another £15 million from the Scottish Government. All Gaelic broadcasting is asking for is parity of esteem. It is not a big ask for a priceless gain. I hope the Minister will carry on agreeing.

[Baroness Twycross (Lab)]

I agree with my noble friend on how important our UK languages are. Keeping them alive is part of not just our history but our culture for the future, and it should matter to all of us. The Government recognise the valuable contribution that providers of minority-language broadcasting have and their vital role in the preservation of our national heritage. The Government are considering the most appropriate arrangements for providing sustainable funding for minority-languages broadcasting as part of the charter review. MG Alba’s total budget stands at an estimated £420 per Gaelic speaker, including both BBC and Scottish Government spend. This compares to an equivalent of £260 per Welsh speaker for S4C. That is not to minimise the importance of it but to show that there is investment in this space.

EU-UK Cultural Exchange Arrangements

Debate between Baroness MacLeod of Camusdarach and Baroness Twycross

Thursday 4th June 2026 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Twycross (Lab)]

I think your Lordships’ House will be clear from the previous times we have debated this issue that it is complex. We are working hard on continuing the reset of our relations with European partners. We are fully aware of this and talk regularly to both the creative sector and EU partners about some of the ways we can simplify things. We want to make sure that we have a strong creative sector and that we continue the exchange with the EU. I remind noble Lords that the EU accounted for 44% of UK services exports in the music, performing and visual arts sector, but this is something that we want to promote and encourage further.

[Baroness MacLeod of Camusdarach (Lab)]

My Lords, this matters economically and culturally. Scotland and the wider UK have an internationally respected music sector, but that reputation depends on the development pipeline. If the artist cannot tour, cannot earn and cannot reach audiences beyond their immediate locality, the sector will lose future headliners, future exports and future cultural ambassadors. Can the Minister give an indication of when these obstacles might be removed?

[Baroness Twycross (Lab)]

These are complex negotiations, but we will continue to engage with the EU and member states to explore solutions that improve mobility arrangements for touring across Europe. We welcome the constructive tone of recent UK-EU engagement on cultural mobility, including references in the EU visa strategy to practical flexibilities for touring professionals. We recognise that the 90-day and 180-day limits continue to pose a significant challenge for touring professionals working across multiple EU member states so, as well as working with individual states, we continue to work with partners at a more European-wide level.