BBC Sounds: Access from Abroad

Lord Kirkhope of Harrogate Excerpts

Wednesday 14th May 2025 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Twycross (Lab)]

My Lords, for the BBC to deliver on its obligations, it needs continued sustainable funding. We are keeping an open mind about the future of the licence fee and will consider the best funding model during the charter review. Our priority is that there will be sustainable funding for the BBC.

[Lord Kirkhope of Harrogate (Con)]

My Lords, many of us in this House may just about be old enough to remember the shortwave broadcasts coming from Hungary in 1956 when it was invaded by the Russians. One of the few ways in which countries around the world can communicate or obtain information through radio is by using frequencies that have now gone in this country. Can the Minister confirm that, whatever the BBC does in order to have a long reach around the world, it is taking into account the fact that the way in which people receive radio is not always as sophisticated as the way that we are able to benefit from it here?

[Baroness Twycross (Lab)]

The noble Lord makes a really important point. The way that this whole agenda gets taken forward is clearly key. I recommend that noble Lords read the speech by the director-general, which I thought was very thoughtful about where he sees the BBC going. I hope noble Lords will take some reassurance that he sees the responsibility of the BBC in both a national and a world context. The Government also see the significance of issues such as that. I am afraid I was not old enough to remember the 1956 conflict that the noble Lord mentions—in fact, I was not born—but I will feed his points back to both DCMS and FCDO colleagues.