Media: S4C

Lord Roberts of Llandudno Excerpts

Wednesday 5th October 2011 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Rawlings]

The noble and learned Lord is absolutely right on that point, but the Government are not delaying. The officials at DCMS are working with S4C and the BBC Trust on the governance structure of their new partnership. The new chairman has been appointed and the appointment has gone down very well. Mr Heath said in the other place that he hoped that the negotiations will be completed by Report in the other place.

[Lord Roberts of Llandudno]

Has discussion taken place between the Welsh Assembly Government, DCMS here, S4C and the BBC? It is so important that all sides involved in the fourth channel, the Welsh language channel, are brought into those discussions to ensure that we have no problems whatever of funding or independence in future.

[Baroness Rawlings]

My Lords, my noble friend makes a very valid point. The Government are fully aware and have set out the funding levels for the period of the spending review, subject to the passage of the Bill, and are committed to making certain that S4C receives sufficient funding for the future. The Government have made clear that that 100 per cent of S4C’s commissioning budget will be spent in the independent sector, as now.