Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will take steps to ensure the upcoming charter review of the BBC considers the transparency around the deployment of staff to cover overseas events including future US Presidential elections.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The BBC is operationally and editorially independent from the Government and decisions about its coverage of US Presidential elections are therefore a matter for the BBC.
The BBC has a duty to deliver impartial and accurate news coverage and content under its Royal Charter. The Charter also specifically sets out that the BBC must observe high standards of openness and seek to maximise transparency and accountability.
The existing Charter is due to expire on 31 December 2027. We are in the early stages of preparation for the upcoming Charter Review which we expect to launch in 2025. We will ensure we take all relevant views into account as part of the review.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions she has had with Ofcom on (a) allegations that Channel One Russia Worldwide has breached the conditions of its TLCS licence and (b) the imposition of statutory sanctions on GB News Limited for breaching the special impartiality requirements in the programme People’s Forum: The Prime Minister broadcast on 12 February 2024.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Secretary of State has had no discussions with Ofcom regarding Channel One Russia Worldwide or the imposition of statutory sanctions on GB News.
Ofcom is the UK’s regulator for broadcasting and by law carries out its duties independently of the Government. Ofcom’s Broadcasting Code contains rules to ensure that due impartiality must be preserved on matters of major political or industrial controversy and major matters relating to current public policy. It is for Ofcom, as the independent regulator, to determine whether there has been a breach of their rules and whether to apply sanctions.
Although Channel One Russia Worldwide holds an Ofcom TLCS licence, it is not available on any regulated service in the UK.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what her planned timetable is for launching the next BBC charter review.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The next Charter Review has to ensure the BBC doesn’t just survive but thrives for decades to come. The existing Charter is due to expire on 31 December 2027. DCMS is in the early stages of preparation for the upcoming Charter Review, which we expect to launch in 2025.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the Answer of 10 January 2024 to Question 8935 on Culture: Disability, when she expects to receive the results of the pilot survey for young people on cultural activities for children and young people with a disability.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Youth participation pilot survey findings are due to be published in October 2024.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will take steps to ensure that Northern Ireland is represented in future appointments within her remit.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport is committed to drawing upon the wealth of talent and experience across the whole of the United Kingdom when making appointments to the Boards of its Public Bodies. The Secretary of State has made clear her commitment to appointing more people from outside of London and the South East; this includes increasing the number of appointments made to people in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if he will hold discussions with the National Citizen Service Trust on ensuring that young people across all parts of the UK receive the opportunity to participate in the UK Year of Service in 2024-2025.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
DCMS is providing £750,000 in 2024/25 to co-fund the next cohort of the UK Year of Service alongside the National Citizen Service Trust, providing work placements for young people who are furthest from the labour market, giving them a chance to be set on a positive path towards long-term employment, education or training. The placements for the next cohort will be targeted in the North East, North West and Yorkshire and Humber, and we will continue to look at how we can best support initiatives like this in the future.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what events will be held in Northern Ireland to launch the Big Help Out in 2024.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
My department is funding and supporting the launch of the 2024 Big Help Out, taking place 7 - 9 June this year, aiming to raise awareness of volunteering and to provide opportunities for people to support their communities.
The Government does not organise events itself, but we understand that plans are in development for the Big Help Out in Northern Ireland with Volunteer Now supporting Shaping the Future member organisations to host two events in Belfast and Enniskillen on 7 June 2024.
Millions of people took part in last year’s Big Help Out with a huge range of charities and voluntary organisations providing people with the opportunity to try out and experience volunteering. All 11 local government districts in Northern Ireland participated last year.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will hold discussions with the Director General of the BBC on the value for money of challenging freedom of information requests on Martin Bashir.
Answered by Julia Lopez
The BBC is operationally and editorially independent from the government and the Government cannot intervene in the BBC’s day-to-day operations or decision making.
The Charter sets out that the BBC must exercise rigorous stewardship of public money. The BBC Board is responsible for securing the effective and efficient management of the finances of the BBC.
As part of the most recent Charter Review the Government put in place arrangements for the National Audit Office to become the BBC’s independent auditor. The NAO is responsible for auditing the BBC accounts and ensuring value for money in the way the BBC uses its funds. This ensures that there is appropriate scrutiny of how the BBC spends its public funding.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will hold discussions with the BBC on taking steps to ensure that its commissioning processes are subject to independent scrutiny.
Answered by Julia Lopez
The BBC is operationally and editorially independent and BBC commissioning is rightly a matter for the BBC, not for the Government.
The Charter requires the BBC to commission programmes in a way that is fair and transparent, allowing non-BBC producers to compete for BBC projects. Due to measures introduced by this Government, by the end of this Charter (2027), 100% of BBC television and 60% of BBC radio will be fully open to competition to support a diverse range of stories and views on the BBC.
The BBC has set out a clear commissioning framework and code of practice, agreed with Ofcom, that governs the commissioning of TV content from independent producers.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will have discussions with the UK Year of Service on increasing work placement opportunities for young people.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
DCMS is providing £750,000 of funding in 2024/25 to co-fund the next cohort of the UK Year of Service alongside the National Citizen Service Trust, providing work placements for at least 100 young people who are furthest from the labour market, giving them a chance to be set on a positive path towards long-term employment, education or training.
The Government recognises the importance of providing young people with supportive, meaningful employment. DCMS will assess the effectiveness of the UK Year of Service to ensure a focus on what works for young people. Any future spending is a decision for future spending reviews.