Pre-Appointment Hearing with the Government's Preferred Candidate
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House of Commons Culture, Media and Sport and Welsh Affairs Committees Pre-appointment hearing with the Government’s preferred candidate for Chairman of the S4C Authority First Joint Report of Session 2010-12 Fifth Report from the Culture, Media and Sport Committee of Session 2010-12 Sixth Report from the Welsh Affairs Committee of Session 2010-12 Volume II: Oral evidence Ordered by The House of Commons to be printed 24 May 2011 HC 1061-II Published on 28 June 2011 by authority of the House of Commons London: The Stationery Office Limited £4.00 The Culture, Media and Sport Committee The Culture, Media and Sport Committee is appointed by the House of Commons to examine the expenditure, administration and policy of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and its associated public bodies. Current membership Mr John Whittingdale MP (Conservative, Maldon) (Chair) Dr Thérèse Coffey MP (Conservative, Suffolk Coastal) Damian Collins MP (Conservative, Folkestone and Hythe) Philip Davies MP (Conservative, Shipley) Paul Farrelly MP (Labour, Newcastle-under-Lyme) Alan Keen MP (Labour, Feltham and Heston) Mrs Louise Mensch MP (née Bagshawe) (Conservative, Corby) Mr Adrian Sanders MP (Liberal Democrat, Torbay) Jim Sheridan MP (Labour, Paisley and Renfrewshire North) Mr Tom Watson MP (Labour, West Bromwich East) Powers The committee is one of the departmental select committees, the powers of which are set out in House of Commons Standing Orders, principally in SO No 152. These are available on the internet via www.parliament.uk. Publication The Reports and evidence of the Committee are published by The Stationery Office by Order of the House. All publications of the Committee (including press notices) are on the internet at www.parliament.uk/parliament.uk/cmscom. A list of Reports of the Committee in the present Parliament is at the back of this volume. The Reports of the Committee, the formal minutes relating to that report, oral evidence taken and some or all written evidence are available in a printed volume. Additional written evidence may be published on the internet only. Committee staff The current staff of the Committee are Emily Commander (Clerk), Andrew Griffiths (Second Clerk), Elizabeth Bradshaw (Inquiry Manager), Ian Hook (Senior Committee Assistant), Keely Bishop/Alison Pratt (Committee Assistants), Steven Price, (Committee Support Assistant) and Jessica Bridges-Palmer (Media Officer). Contacts All correspondence should be addressed to the Clerk of the Culture, Media and Sport Committee, House of Commons, 7 Millbank, London SW1P 3JA. The telephone number for general enquiries is 020 7219 6188; the Committee’s email address is [email protected] The Welsh Affairs Committee The Welsh Affairs Committee is appointed by the House of Commons to examine the expenditure, administration and policy of the Office of the Secretary of State for Wales (including relations with the National Assembly for Wales). Current membership David T.C. Davies MP (Conservative, Monmouth) (Chair) Stuart Andrew MP (Conservative, Pudsey) Guto Bebb MP (Conservative, Aberconwy) Alun Cairns MP (Conservative, Vale of Glamorgan), Geraint Davies MP (Labour, Swansea West) Jonathan Edwards MP (Plaid Cymru, Carmarthen East and Dinefwr) Mrs Siân C. James MP (Labour, Swansea East) Susan Elan Jones MP (Labour, Clwyd South) Karen Lumley MP (Conservative, Redditch) Jessica Morden MP (Labour, Newport East) Owen Smith MP (Labour, Pontypridd) Mr Mark Williams MP (Liberal Democrat, Ceredigion) The following Members were members of the committee during the Parliament: Glyn Davies MP (Conservative, Montgomeryshire) Nia Griffith MP (Labour, Llanelli) Powers The Committee is one of the departmental select committees, the powers of which are set out in House of Commons Standing Orders, principally in SO No 152. These are available on the internet via www.parliament.uk Publications The Reports and evidence of the Committee are published by The Stationery Office by Order of the House. All publications of the Committee (including press notices) are on the internet at www.parliament.uk/welshcom The Reports of the Committee, the formal minutes relating to that report, oral evidence taken and some or all written evidence are available in printed volumes. Additional written evidence may be published on the internet only. Committee staff The current staff of the Committee is Adrian Jenner (Clerk), Anwen Rees (Inquiry Manager), Jenny Nelson (Senior Committee Assistant), Dabinder Rai (Committee Assistant), and Jessica Bridges-Palmer (Media Officer). Contacts All correspondence should be addressed to the Clerk of the Welsh Affairs Committee, House of Commons, 7 Millbank, London SW1P 3JA. The telephone number for general enquiries is 020 7219 3264; and the Committee’s email address is [email protected] Witnesses Tuesday 24 May 2011 Page Huw Jones Ev 1 cobber Pack: U PL: COE1 [SO] Processed: [23-06-2011 12:21] Job: 012693 Unit: PG01 Source: /MILES/PKU/INPUT/012693/012693_o001_mick_HC 1061 corrected.xml Welsh Affairs Committee and the Culture, Media and Sport Committee: Evidence Ev 1 Oral evidence Taken before the Welsh Affairs Committee and the Culture, Media and Sport Committee on Tuesday 24 May 2011 Members present: David T. C. Davies took the Chair Stuart Andrew Paul Farrelly Ms Louise Bagshawe Susan Elan Jones Guto Bebb Jessica Morden Alun Cairns Mr Adrian Sanders Damian Collins Tom Watson Geraint Davies Mr Mark Williams David T. C. Davies Mr John Whittingdale Jonathan Edwards ________________ Examination of Witness Witness: Huw Jones, Government’s preferred candidate for post of Chairman of the S4C Authority, gave evidence. Q1 Chair: Bore da, Mr Jones. Diolch am ddod have an interest in S4C—the general public, Members heddiw. Yn amlwg, does yna ddim gwasanaethau of Parliament, Assembly Members and so forth—have cyfieithu, ac nid yw’r mwyafrif yma yn siarad confidence and have an understanding of how S4C is Cymraeg… [Good morning, Mr Jones. Thank you for facing up to the various challenges that it will face coming today. Obviously, there are no translation and that it feels confidence in the Authority and the facilities and the majority here do not speak Welsh… Executive to face those challenges and to make the ] so we will carry on in English, if that is all right right decisions. with you. Obviously, you have seen the brief, and the purpose Q2 Chair: The relationship between S4C and the of this is not a political discussion at all; it is just to Government appeared to break down completely at look into your abilities as a potential leader within one point last year, to the point where there was talk S4C. May I begin by asking you a fairly obvious of judicial reviews and all sorts of other things. From question? You will be aware from what has been your point of view, do you think that that is going on over the past year—not to mention our own acceptable—one would assume not—and what are report—that there have been some issues and you going to do to try to ensure that you have a good, problems within S4C. We actually said in our report healthy working relationship with DCMS Ministers that S4C became the story for a long time. What is it and other relevant people in Government? that you will do to try to make sure that S4C is not Huw Jones: The simple answer to that is to talk to the story, and that we are not reading about the people consistently, regularly and honestly, so that we management, resignations and sackings every week in have a clear understanding of issues that are coming The Western Mail? our way from Government—concerns that Huw Jones: I think it is indeed a responsibility of the Government may have—but so that also Government Chairman to try to ensure that that sort of thing does understand what are critical issues for S4C. Clearly, not happen. There are several aspects to the solutions the period we are going into now is a very critical to that. First, I am glad that if I am appointed I will period, which is full of difficulties and full of have an opportunity to be part of the process of unknowns, and I would want to make sure that appointing the new Chief Executive. That will enable Government are fully aware of our concerns and how me, hopefully, to appoint—along with the rest of the the discussions will work through. Authority—a person in whom we will be able to invest our confidence and with whom we will be able Q3 Chair: Finally from me, it is very important that to work in moving the channel forward. the holder of the Chair is seen as being politically Secondly, there is the need to work closely with the impartial. I cannot help but ask you about your other members of the Authority to understand issues previous, very strong involvement with Sain, which that may be of concern to people, to anticipate where was clearly putting out a lot of music that was discussions and disagreements may arise in Authority certainly not very supportive of the Conservative meetings, and to try to ensure that concerns are party—as is your right, indeed, as a private individual. ventilated and that agreement is reached on the basis I look and I listen to it, and I enjoy some of the songs of the best possible solution moving forward. There is myself, but I think that the person responsible for this also a clear need for S4C to be as transparent as is going to find it quite difficult, perhaps, to be possible, so that the wide range of stakeholders who politically impartial. cobber Pack: U PL: COE1 [E] Processed: [23-06-2011 12:21] Job: 012693 Unit: PG01 Source: /MILES/PKU/INPUT/012693/012693_o001_mick_HC 1061 corrected.xml Ev 2 Welsh Affairs Committee and the Culture, Media and Sport Committee: Evidence 24 May 2011 Huw Jones Huw Jones: I can only think of one song that Sain difficult for me to say, “This is how it will be,” ever produced that was directly critical of any because I do not know how it will be.