BBC: Impartiality
Debate between Earl of Effingham and Baroness Twycross
Baroness Twycross (Lab)
I agree with the noble Baroness’s first point; everyone across your Lordships’ House will get frustrated at some point, which is probably a sign that the BBC is on the right track. On news and current affairs, as the Question suggests, all broadcasters have a responsibility to be duly accurate and impartial. It is for Ofcom, as the regulator, to ensure compliance. We believe it takes that responsibility seriously.
The Earl of Effingham (Con)
My Lords, we live in a world where social media has a huge impact on public discourse. Can the Minister explain how the Government will monitor the activity of all BBC employees on social media and ensure that it does not undermine the perception of the BBC’s required impartiality?
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.
National Youth Strategy
Debate between Earl of Effingham and Baroness Twycross
Baroness Twycross (Lab)
I thank my noble friend for that question. It is important to us that the strategy is a co-production. We will set up a youth advisory board as well as running a series of youth-led round tables. There will be a wide consultation, reaching and engaging young people across the country through surveys and focus groups.
On top of that, the UK Youth Parliament is DCMS’s key mechanism for engaging with young people and ensuring that their voices are heard in policy and decision making. I know that a number of noble Lords here are particularly interested in the work of the Youth Parliament, so I will just note that it is Parliament Week.
The Earl of Effingham (Con)
My Lords, the Statement says that young people today
“are at the sharp end of a revolution in social media”
and that there are now one in five young people with a mental health problem. The research shows that everything points to social media and smartphones. At the moment, I understand we are just giving guidance that smartphones should be banned in schools. My question for the Minister is simple: when are we going to legislate so that smartphones are banned? They must be a huge distraction and they should not be in the classroom.
Baroness Twycross (Lab)
I refer the noble Earl to the debate on precisely this issue in your Lordships’ House next Thursday. I think that question will be explored in a lot of detail in that debate.