Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will have discussions with the BBC on ensuring that it advertises its upcoming consultation on reforming the licence fee post-2028 to help ensure the public's views are adequately represented.
Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Ministers meet with senior BBC officials regularly to discuss a range of issues. Those discussions include how the BBC is delivering on its obligations, which includes a general duty to engage with the public. The BBC is operationally independent, and therefore questions on how it engages public views and runs consultations are a matter for the BBC itself.
As required by the Charter, the Government will consult the public as part of the forthcoming Charter Review process, where any decisions on reforming the licence fee post-2027 will be made and implemented.
Asked by: Jeff Smith (Labour - Manchester, Withington)
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 Funding Model Review: Terms of Reference, published on 21 March 2024, what steps she plans to take to ensure that the review assesses the potential merits of all options for securing the sustainability of the BBC.
Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The government believes that there are challenges around the sustainability of the current licence fee funding model, and is therefore conducting a review of the BBC’s funding model.
As the Terms of Reference make clear, the Review is assessing a range of options for funding the BBC. It is looking at how alternative models could help secure the broadcaster’s long-term sustainability amid an evolving media landscape, increased competition and changing audience behaviour, while reducing the burden on licence fee payers.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she plans to have discussions with the Welsh Government on the BBC Funding Model Review.
Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Terms of Reference for the BBC Funding Model Review set out that the review would undertake close engagement with the devolved administrations, including the Welsh Government, as appropriate. As part of the review’s evidence gathering exercise, evidence requests have already been sent to the Welsh Government, alongside the other Devolved Administrations. The Government intends to continue engaging the Welsh Government, and relevant broadcasting stakeholders in Wales, as the review progresses.
Asked by: Christine Jardine (Liberal Democrat - Edinburgh West)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she plans to take to enable (a) industry representatives and (b) other relevant stakeholders to make submissions to the BBC funding model review.
Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The BBC Funding Review is looking at how alternative funding models could help secure the broadcaster’s long-term sustainability amid an evolving media landscape, increased competition and changing audience behaviour, while reducing the burden on licence fee payers. It is a government-led review, supported by an expert panel that incorporates a broad range of views from across the sector, providing advice and external challenge on the issues set out in the review’s Terms of Reference, which are available on gov.uk.
Stakeholders are submitting evidence on the basis that evidence provided is confidential in nature, especially given potential commercial sensitivities, and there is no intention for these submissions to be made public, either in full or in part.
Asked by: Justin Madders (Labour - Ellesmere Port and Neston)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what the expenditure on TV licence reminder letters was in each year since 2020.
Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Under the Communications Act 2003, the BBC is responsible for the collection and enforcement of the licence fee, not the Government. The BBC’s role in enforcing the Licence Fee is set out in the Royal Charter. The BBC carries this out under the trading name TV Licensing.
Data on the cost of licence fee collection for TV Licensing is contained in their published annual reviews. The cost of collection data does contain partial disaggregation into different cost categories, however exact data on the cost of administering TV licence reminder letters is unavailable.
Further information on costs and administering the licence fee can be found directly on the TV Licensing website: https://www.tvlicensing.co.uk/about/our-performance-AB6
Asked by: Damian Green (Conservative - Ashford)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether the Terms of Reference for the BBC Funding Review Panel allow the Panel to consider all the funding options contained in the 6th report of the DCMS Select Committee of session 2019-21, and in the annex to that report.
Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Terms of Reference for the BBC Funding Model Review set out that the Government wants the BBC to continue to succeed as a Public Service Broadcaster long into the future, providing high quality public service content on a universal basis.
As the Terms of Reference make clear, the review will be looking at a range of models for funding the BBC to ensure it is fair to licence fee payers, sustainable for the long term and supports the BBC’s vital role in growing the creative industries. This will include looking at options to reform the licence fee, and how the BBC can increase its commercial revenues. Given pressure on household incomes, the Secretary of State has explicitly ruled out this review looking at creating any new taxes.
The findings of the review will support the Government’s views on the future funding of the BBC. Any final decision on reforming the BBC’s funding model would be taken at Charter Review.
Asked by: Jeff Smith (Labour - Manchester, Withington)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what criteria her Department uses to determine who will be consulted on the Government’s BBC funding model review; and if she will publish a list of those that have been consulted.
Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
As set out in the Terms of Reference for the BBC Funding Model Review, the review will take evidence from a range of relevant stakeholders as we seek to assess the merits of different options for securing the sustainability of the BBC. The Secretary of State issued formal evidence requests to industry stakeholders across the broadcasting and media sector and to all three of the Devolved Administrations.
The review aims to report to the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport by Autumn 2024. The findings will inform Charter Review, which is where any final decisions on changing the BBC’s funding model will be made by the Government. As required by the Charter, the Government will consult the public as part of the Charter Review process.
Asked by: Stephanie Peacock (Labour - Barnsley East)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the BBC’s proposal to introduce advertising on podcasts and on-demand content streamed through third-party services on the commercial (a) news and (b) audio sectors.
Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The BBC has responsibilities set out in its Charter to avoid unnecessary adverse impacts on the market, which were underscored in the Government’s recent Mid-Term Review. The Government will continue to monitor the effectiveness of the reforms as we approach the renewal of the BBC’s Charter.
As the BBC’s independent regulator, it is for Ofcom to robustly hold the BBC to account in meeting its obligations to both its audiences and the market, as set out in the Royal Charter and Framework Agreement.
Asked by: Kevin Brennan (Labour - Cardiff West)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she has taken to publicly advertise application opportunities to the BBC funding model review panel.
Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The BBC Funding Review is looking at how alternative funding models could help secure the broadcaster’s long-term sustainability amid an evolving media landscape, increased competition and changing audience behaviour, while reducing the burden on licence fee payers. It is a government-led review, supported by an expert panel that incorporates a broad range of views from across the sector, providing advice and external challenge on the issues set out in the review’s Terms of Reference, which are available on gov.uk..
The Panel does not have any decision making powers, and is one aspect of the Government’s BBC Funding Model Review.
The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport appointed Panel members based on their expertise across relevant sectors, including television, radio, news and international relations. The experts were selected in consultation with industry stakeholders based on their experience and knowledge of wide ranging issues at the heart of the UK media sector such as the role of Public Service Broadcasters, press sustainability and content for children and young adults. Panel membership is voluntary. The Expert Panel has no legal status and was therefore not set up under the Cabinet Office guidelines for public appointments.
Asked by: Chris Bryant (Labour - Rhondda)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, if she will publish the attendance of each meeting of the AI and Copyright Code of Practice Working Group in (a) 2023 and (b) 2024.
Answered by Saqib Bhatti - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The working group on copyright and AI met under terms of reference available at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/the-governments-code-of-practice-on-copyright-and-ai. This information for 2023 has previously been disclosed pursuant to a Freedom of Information request, and is set out in the following table:
Date of meeting | Attendees, by organisation |
05/06/2023 (AI firms and research sector only) | The Entrepreneurs Network; IP Federation; Stability AI; Knowledge Rights 21; Google DeepMind; Tech UK; British Library; UK Research and Innovation (UKRI); Microsoft; Synthesia IPO; Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS); Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) |
06/06/2023 (right holders only) | RELX; Professional Publishers Association; British Association of Picture Library Agencies (BAPLA); News Media Association; Alliance for IP; UK Music; NLA Media Access; Association of Photographers; Financial Times; Copyright Licensing Agency; British Phonographic Industry (BPI); Equity; Publishers Association; Creators’ Rights Alliance; Music Publishers Association; British Screen Forum; Design and Artists Copyright Society (DACS); Copyright Clearance Center; British Copyright Council; British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC); Premier League IPO; DCMS; CMA |
13/06/2023 | RELX; Professional Publishers Association; The Entrepreneurs Network; IP Federation; Stability AI; Knowledge Rights 21; News Media Association; Alliance for IP; Council of Music Makers; UK Music; NLA Media Access; Association of Photographers; Copyright Licensing Agency; Financial Times; BAPLA; Google DeepMind; Tech UK; Equity; vAIsual; British Library; Creators’ Rights Alliance; Music Publishers Association; UKRI; British Screen Forum; DACS; Copyright Clearance Center; British Copyright Council; Microsoft; BPI; Innovate UK; BBC IPO; DCMS; Office for AI (OAI); CMA |
30/06/2023 | Professional Publishers Association; BAPLA; Knowledge Rights 21; Publishers Association; News Media Association; Alliance for IP; The Entrepreneurs Network; UK Music; NLA Media Access; Association of Photographers; Copyright Licensing Agency; Financial Times; Startup Coalition; Equity; vAIsual; British Library; Creators’ Rights Alliance; Music Publishers Association; UKRI; British Screen Forum; DACS; Copyright Clearance Center; British Copyright Council; Microsoft; BPI; Tech UK; Innovate UK; BBC; RELX; Council of Music Makers IPO; DCMS; OAI |
13/09/2023 (right holders only) | Professional Publishers Association; British Film Institute (BFI); Association of Photographers; Copyright Licensing Agency; Condé Nast; Guardian Media Group; Publishers Association; BPI; Equity IPO |
22/09/2023 | Association of Photographers; Getty Images; BBC; vAIsual; Microsoft; Music Publishers Association; Startup Coalition; British Copyright Council; Stability AI IPO |
26/09/2023 | RELX; Copyright Clearance Center; Copyright Licensing Agency; Alliance for IP; vAIsual; The Entrepreneurs Network; British Copyright Council; IP Federation; Synthesia; Publishers Association; WB Discovery; Council of Music Makers; Financial Times; Guardian Media Group; Startup Coalition |
29/09/2023 | Alliance for IP; British Copyright Council; Creators’ Rights Alliance; Equity; Stability AI; DACS; Microsoft; Innovate UK; BFI; British Screen Forum; Reading University; UK Music; Professional Publishers Association IPO |
04/10/2023 | Creators’ Rights Alliance; Equity; UK Music; Professional Publishers Association; Tech UK; News Media Association; Association of Photographers; Getty Images; The Entrepreneurs Network; BPI IPO |
05/10/2023 (AI firms only) | The Entrepreneurs Network; Startup Coalition; Microsoft; Stability AI; vAIsual IPO |
06/10/2023 | British Library; UKRI; BFI; Tech UK; Alliance for IP; Professional Publishers Association; RELX; Copyright Clearance Center; Turing Institute; Knowledge Rights 21 IPO |
12/10/2023 | Professional Publishers Association; BAPLA; The Entrepreneurs Network; Knowledge Rights 21; Publishers Association; News Media Association; Alliance for IP; Council of Music Makers; UK Music; NLA Media Access; Association of Photographers; Copyright Licensing Agency; Financial Times; BPI; Startup Coalition; Equity; vAIsual; Guardian Media Group; Creators’ Rights Alliance; Music Publishers Association; UKRI; British Screen Forum; BFI; Copyright Clearance Center; British Copyright Council; IP Federation; Microsoft; Innovate UK; BBC IPO; DCMS; OAI; Department for Science, Innovation and Technology; CMA |
The group did not meet in 2024.