Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the effect of the content produced by BBC Sounds on the quality of output of commercial radio.

The Government has received representations from the commercial radio sector about the impact of BBC radio and audio services, including new services being launched on BBC Sounds. It is for Ofcom, as the independent regulator, to assess whether particular BBC services have an impact on the provision of commercial radio and audio services.

The Mid-Term Review of the BBC’s Royal Charter offers an opportunity for the government to consider whether current governance and regulatory arrangements for the BBC are working effectively. We will be publishing more details about the Mid-Term Review shortly.