Asked by: Lord Foulkes of Cumnock (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will publish details of the agreement reached with the BBC about the TV licence fee arrangements for those who are 75 or over, in particular how the agreement will be enforced.
Answered by Lord Ashton of Hyde
The decision on the future of the free TV licence fee concession is entirely a matter for the BBC. In the 2015 funding settlement, we agreed that responsibility for the concession would transfer to the BBC in June 2020. The agreement became part of the Digital Economy Act 2017, discussed and passed by the House, and enshrined in the new Royal Charter in 2017. Both the Act and the Royal Charter are already in the public domain.
The BBC conducted an extensive public consultation with over 190,000 responses, before coming to a view that only those aged 75 and above and in receipt of pension credit will continue to receive a free television licence.
The Secretary of State expressed disappointment with the BBC for taking the most narrowly focused reform option despite receiving its highest ever level of licence fee funding. We have asked the BBC to do more to help the most vulnerable groups affected by the decision.
Enforcement of the licence fee is also a matter for the BBC. But we have asked the BBC to consider among its measures of support for vulnerable groups, those which might alleviate concerns around enforcement among the over 75s.
Asked by: Lord Foulkes of Cumnock (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what measures are in place for the BBC to receive information about those in receipt of Pension Credit; and whether they are satisfied that any such measures comply with the General Data Protection Regulation.
Answered by Lord Ashton of Hyde
The BBC is responsible for the cost and the administration of the over 75 licence fee concession from June 2020, including data protection compliance.
The BBC proposes to operate a self-verification model for the over 75 licence fee concession from June 2020, with those who consider themselves eligible responsible for sharing evidence of their entitlement directly with the BBC.
However, any necessary changes should be as easy to understand as possible and we look forward to hearing more about the detailed plans for communicating and implementing this change from the BBC.
Asked by: Lord Foulkes of Cumnock (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to ensure that the Chair of the Charities Commission has suitable experience of the Third Sector.
Answered by Lord Ashton of Hyde
The role of Charity Commission Chair were assessed by the Advisory Assessment Panel against the published selection criteria for the role as per Paragraph 5.3 of the Cabinet Office Governance Code for Public Appointments. The published essential criteria are as follows:
The successful candidate met the criteria for the role as assessed by the Assessment Advisory Panel.
Asked by: Lord Foulkes of Cumnock (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the annual salary and expenses of the Chair of the Charity Commission.
Answered by Lord Ashton of Hyde
The Chair of the Charity Commission is remunerated at £62,500 per annum (2.5 days per week). A pension is not offered for this appointment. The Chair is expected to undertake some travel in connection with the role, for which reasonable expenses are paid in line with the Charity Commission’s expenses policy.
Asked by: Lord Foulkes of Cumnock (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many people were interviewed for the recent appointment of Chair of the Charity Commission; who conducted the interviews; and whether a candidate was recommended by the interview panel to ministers for appointment.
Answered by Lord Ashton of Hyde
Six candidates were shortlisted for interview for the Chair of the Charity Commission role. The Advisory Assessment Panel comprised:
Paragraph 3.1 of the Cabinet Office Governance Code for Public Appointments stipulates that Advisory Assessment Panels must not rank candidates unless specifically requested by the appointing Minister. The Advisory Assessment Panel received no such request for this competition and candidates were therefore assessed as either ‘appointable’ or ‘unappointable.’
Following the satisfactory completion of the interview process, the Advisory Assessment Panel presented Ministers with a list of of three individuals and Ministers selected the candidate who they assessed as most suitable for the role. As a result, Baroness Stowell has been appointed as Chair of the Charity Commission.