BBC (Parliamentary Oversight)

Jim Hood Excerpts

Wednesday 5th December 2012 Westminster Hall

[Mr Vaizey]

I was not aware that my hon. Friend had worked for the BBC before entering the House of Commons. Given the qualifications of the BBC’s new director-general, who worked there and then left for an outside organisation, it seems inevitable that my hon. Friend will one day end up as director-general, once Tony Hall has served his term.

In a sense, the element of parliamentary oversight of the BBC—

[Mr Jim Hood (in the Chair)]

Order. I am sure that the Minister is just swivelling, but I am seeing too much of his back.

[Mr Vaizey]

I am so sorry, Mr Hood. I will address you.

On parliamentary accountability, it is true that the chairman of the BBC Trust and the acting director-general appeared before the Select Committee on 27 November. The previous director-general appeared on 23 October, and the director-general before that—that shows how fast things are moving—appeared on 19 June 2012. The BBC Trust appeared before the Public Accounts Committee on 22 November, and other BBC executives appeared before that Committee in July. Also, the BBC has made appearances over the past year or so before the Select Committee on Foreign Affairs, the Lords Communications Committee, the Select Committee on Justice and the Administration Committee.

I think the chairman of the BBC Trust behaved in an appropriate fashion when he appeared before the Culture, Media and Sport Committee and answered its questions. He is a man of deep experience and robust views, and that Select Committee is capable of offering challenging points to him. Having known him for some time, I know he is capable of responding to those challenging points.

In addition to the BBC Trust and the new powers for the National Audit Office—again, those powers being to conduct a value-for-money review of the BBC, which is an important point of progress—the BBC is also subject to the regulatory oversight of Ofcom, which can sanction it for breaches of the broadcasting codes. That is, of course, with the exception of compliance with accuracy and impartiality, which are still matters for the trust.

Returning to parliamentary scrutiny, which is at the heart of the debate, the BBC charter sets out two mechanisms under which the appointment of the director-general can be made. It can be made by the BBC Trust, whereby the director-general shall also operate as chairman of the executive board, or by the chairman of the executive board, if that role is held by a non-executive appointed by the trust. At this time, we see little benefit of either the Government or Parliament having a role, whether through consultation or ratification, in the appointment of the director-general. Indeed, such a proposal has the potential to make the most important appointment at the BBC—a position that, as we know only too well from recent events, crucially includes the role of editor-in-chief—political, which could undermine the principles of an independent BBC.

That is not to say that Parliament should not have overview of a public institution as important as the BBC. Of course, we entirely support the right of Parliament to question the decisions made by the BBC and the trust, including in debates such as this one. In the past three months, senior BBC figures have appeared before at least two parliamentary Committees.

Finally, we recognise that it is necessary to put this debate in the context of recent events at the BBC, and most importantly of how the BBC responds to the significant loss of public confidence. We have been clear that the primary objective of the BBC Trust at this time must be to rebuild the public’s trust in the BBC, and I know that Lord Patten agrees. To that end, we have set out three things we believe the BBC Trust needs to achieve.

First, the immediate task must be to address the failings in the editorial process, particularly at “Newsnight”, in order to restore public confidence. The trust needs to act swiftly to ensure that the management and leadership issues are resolved and that the failings cannot be repeated. It is clear from what the interim director-general has said that the BBC is looking seriously at what went wrong, where responsibility lies and how to address the matter in the long term, and the Government welcome that.

Secondly, the trust must ensure that a strong and stable executive board is in place to manage the BBC. To that end, we welcome the appointment of Tony Hall as director-general of the BBC. He has a strong track record and extensive experience inside and outside the BBC, and it is important that he works hard to maintain public confidence in the corporation.

Thirdly, we must not lose sight of the inquiries into what is at the heart of these events. None of the developments in recent days should overshadow the investigations into the alleged horrendous abuse of children in institutions across our country. It is vital that the BBC responds correctly and decisively to the Pollard inquiry into the decision to drop the “Newsnight” item on Savile, and to the Smith inquiry on Savile’s abuses and the culture and practices of the BBC. We must wait until those investigations have concluded and consideration has been given to their findings. At this time, however, we see no evidence that suggests that greater oversight of the BBC by Parliament would have had any impact on recent events. Even if that case could be made, we must balance any benefits of such oversight against the impact on the BBC’s independence.

I reiterate that the chairman of the BBC Trust, regardless of how hon. Members regard his demeanour before the Culture, Media and Sport Committee, did come to be questioned and examined by that Committee, as did the previous director-general.

We are all rightly proud of what a strong, independent BBC can achieve, and we should take the opportunity to preserve and strengthen those qualities for the good of all licence fee payers.