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

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the BBC Mid-Term Review, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the way Ofcom evaluates the market impact of changes to the BBC’s public services.

In May 2022, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) launched the Mid-Term Review to assess how effectively the governance and regulation arrangements of the BBC are performing and whether any reforms are necessary. The Terms of Reference, published in May 2022, stated that the Review will look at competition and market impact, and will evaluate how the BBC and Ofcom assess the market impact and public value of the BBC in an evolving marketplace and how that relates to the wider UK media ecology, including with regard to commercial radio and local news sectors and other content makers and distributors.

DCMS is working through feedback from a wide range of stakeholders to help us develop our conclusions. We are consulting the BBC, Ofcom and the Devolved Administrations on our findings, as required by the Review’s Terms of Reference. The Government is seeking to conclude the review at pace, and to report on its findings by 2024.