John Bercow
Main Page: John Bercow (Speaker - Buckingham)(11 years, 5 months ago)
Commons ChamberRead Full debate Read Hansard Text
Urgent Questions are proposed each morning by backbench MPs, and up to two may be selected each day by the Speaker. Chosen Urgent Questions are announced 30 minutes before Parliament sits each day.
Each Urgent Question requires a Government Minister to give a response on the debate topic.
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Mr Speaker
Order. I am minded to run the exchanges on this question for approximately half an hour, but there is a premium, if I am to accommodate colleagues’ level of interest, on short questions and short answers. Long questions by one colleague will cause another colleague to be deprived of the opportunity to contribute.
Mr Richard Bacon (South Norfolk) (Con)
Given that under the one-off agreement between the Department and the BBC Trust, the Comptroller and Auditor General is unable, without the consent of the BBC Trust, to inquire into the regularity of the £450,000 severance payment to the director-general, would it not make sense to give the NAO unfettered access for its value-for-money audits and place the BBC on the same basis as every other public body?
Mr Speaker
Order. I am keen to accommodate remaining colleagues as there is but a sprinkling of them.
Mr Speaker
Order. Mr Johnson, you can take your seat and be comfortable. Brevity would assist us in this process. You can rise again now.
Gareth Johnson
There is no doubt that “Newsnight” broadcast a car crash of a television programme or that changes are needed at the BBC, but does the Secretary of State agree that it would be a mistake to use the problems emanating from that “Newsnight” programme and the current difficulties at the BBC to rubbish everything it does and all it stands for?
Maria Miller
My hon. Friend is right to suggest that it should be possible to hold every public organisation to account for the way in which it uses money. I remind him that the National Audit Office is empowered to examine value-for-money issues of that kind. However, I think that at this point it should be possible for there to be a period of calm within the BBC, so that it can establish the facts and the problems that it faces and introduce meaningful reforms.
Mr Speaker
I thank the Secretary of State and colleagues for their co-operation, which meant that every Member who wanted to take part in that series of exchanges was able to do so.