DOCSLIB.ORG

Valediction of Mark Thompson, Director General of the BBC

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Valediction of Mark Thompson, Director General of the BBC House of Commons Culture, Media and Sport Committee Valediction of Mark Thompson, Director General of the BBC Oral evidence Tuesday 19 June 2012 Mark Thompson, Director General, BBC Ordered by The House of Commons to be printed 19 June 2012 HC 324-i Published on 6 August 2012 by authority of the House of Commons London: The Stationery Office Limited £5.50 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) Louise Mensch MP (Conservative, Corby) Steve Rotheram MP (Labour, Liverpool, Walton) Mr Adrian Sanders MP (Liberal Democrat, Torbay) Jim Sheridan MP (Labour, Paisley and Renfrewshire North) Mr Gerry Sutcliffe MP (Labour, Bradford South) 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. Committee staff The current staff of the Committee are Elizabeth Flood (Clerk), Sarah Heath (Second Clerk), Victoria Butt (Senior Committee Assistant), Keely Bishop/Alison Pratt (Committee Assistants) 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] List of witnesses Tuesday 19 June 2012 Page Mark Thompson, Director General, BBC Ev 1 Culture, Media and Sport Committee: Evidence Ev 1 Oral evidence Taken before the Culture, Media and Sport Committee on Tuesday 19 June 2012 Members present: Mr John Whittingdale (Chair) Dr Thérèse Coffey Jim Sheridan Damian Collins Mr Gerry Sutcliffe Mrs Louise Mensch Mr Tom Watson Steve Rotheram ________________ Examination of Witness Witness: Mark Thompson, Director General of the BBC, gave evidence. Q1 Chair: All right, let us kick off. Can I welcome administrative jobs, are now carried out by women. for this afternoon session a familiar face before the The director of news is a woman and the controller of Committee, Mark Thompson, the Director General of Radio 4 is a woman and so on. On Today, you touch the BBC, for what may or may not be a valedictory an interesting issue. I would say that I have certainly performance, but we thought it is appropriate to invite felt, in my time as Director General, that the BBC you to come and talk to us not just about recent events could and should do more, and indeed I think we have but to reflect upon the time that you have spent as done some more, especially in making sure that we Director General. Before we move into the more were open to talent from wherever it comes, in general questioning, my colleague, Louise Mensch, particular talent—both on television and radio but has another pressing engagement so she would like to more on television—from older women, and that is ask one or two questions before she disappears and definitely an area where we need to do more. then she may re-appear. Let us start off with Louise. The Today programme question is an interesting one because Today has to cover British public life as it Q2 Mrs Mensch: Mr Chairman, I need to start off currently is rather than the public life that we would by declaring an interest. I am a 50% shareholder in wish it was going to have in the future. It is true in a small tech-media company called Mensch-Bozier, many walks of life, not least politics and Parliament, which has today launched a social media platform. Mr that there is a significant proportion of men, and in Thompson, I apologise because this was re-arranged. the end what we try to do in our news and current I have a meeting that I must attend and will be back affairs is to reflect reality. That means when you are subsequently, but if I could kick off by asking you a doing on the Today programme stories about public question, which is not in the brief and which is about policy, about parliamentary, local and other forms of the BBC’s treatment of women. You will be aware government and politics, when you are covering that a journalist in the Guardian did a study of women business, in a sense you arrive in parts of our national in public life and found that women’s voices were life, some of which have an under-representation of conspicuously absent not just from the BBC but from women compared to the UK population. many other platforms, I think 16% of The Independent newspaper. In particular, she counted up the Q3 Mrs Mensch: If I may say so, Mr Thompson, contribution of women to the Today programme and you would not make that argument, would you, on the found that in almost all cases, women formed less grounds of race? You would not say that because the than 20% of the contributors to the Today programme. BBC has to reflect the world as it is, therefore we will I notice that, when we had you before, the BBC kept exclude ethnic minority presenters and contributors so statistics on racial and ethnic employment but did not they only reflect that portion of—why would you keep any statistics on women’s employment. Do you make the argument for gender? believe that this has been a problem for the BBC Mark Thompson: I am not suggesting that we do under your tenure, both women’s voices on the air in exclude presenters, because we do not, and we have radio television and women employed at the BBC? women presenters across our news and current affairs Mark Thompson: It is a big topic. We do keep programmes, and when we talk to members of the statistics for our employment of women at every level public we try to reflect people from every community of the BBC and I am very happy to share those. We in the country. But when you are, for example, doing make them public. Overall in the BBC this has been debates between MPs, to some extent you have the a period that has seen greater numbers of women issue that you are stuck with the gender balance inside employed at almost every level of the organisation, up the House of Commons. to and including the executive board. Of the other six executive directors in the BBC, three are men, three Q4 Mrs Mensch: It is not completely true though, is are women, and some of the most significant and it, in terms of your public affairs coverage, because if important creative roles in the entire organisation, as you look at Newsnight, the vast majority of the well as some of the most important management and presenting team is men? If you look at the Today Ev 2 Culture, Media and Sport Committee: Evidence 19 June 2012 Mark Thompson programme, the majority of the presenting team is you look at the 10 o’clock news and the Today men. If you look at Question Time, clearly the key programme, the overriding duty is to reflect the world presenter is a man. If you look at Any Questions? the as it is. The danger if you start trying to, in a sense, key presenter is man. If we look at Daily Politics, adjust reality is that people think there are not issues again, it is male-dominated, so we see a range of male in these areas. domination across the whole of the BBC’s flagship Mrs Mensch: Thank you very much. I am hoping to current affairs programming, which I think is not the return to ask you some more questions at the end of way for a public service broadcaster to lead by the session. example. Mark Thompson: Can we focus on Newsnight?We Q9 Chair: Did you agree with Greg Dyke in his have Emily Maitlis, Kirsty Wark and Mishal Husain, criticism of the BBC as hideously white? all regularly presenting the programme. We have just Mark Thompson: I would never use that language appointed a female political editor, Allegra Stratton. and I think that the BBC should be trying to get talent We have a whole range of women on Newsnight. from every part of this country and every different What you have just said is not true. community, and I think that we should focus on the best talent. The issue historically is more about not Q5 Mrs Mensch: No, I think it is true. If we were to fully connecting with every community in the country take the main presenters of the programme, whether and therefore potentially missing out on outstanding it is Gavin Esler or Jeremy Paxman, and count up the journalists, reporters, writers and comedians. I would number of times that men versus women are the main much rather base it around the creative opportunity presenters of your current affairs programme, there is and the richness you can get from being open to talent no doubt at all that men would dominate.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • BBC TV\S Panorama, Conflict Coverage and the Μwestminster
    %%&79¶VPanorama, conflict coverage and WKHµ:HVWPLQVWHU FRQVHQVXV¶ David McQueen This copy of the thesis has been supplied on condition that anyone who consults it is understood to recognise that its copyright rests with its author and due acknowledgement must always be made of the use of any material contained in, or derived from, this thesis. %%&79¶VPanorama, conflict coverage and the µ:HVWPLQVWHUFRQVHQVXV¶ David Adrian McQueen A thesis in partial fulfilment of the requirements of Bournemouth University for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy August 2010 µLet nation speak peace unto nation¶ RIILFLDO%%&PRWWRXQWLO) µQuaecunque¶>:KDWVRHYHU@(official BBC motto from 1934) 2 Abstract %%&79¶VPanoramaFRQIOLFWFRYHUDJHDQGWKHµ:HVWPLQVWHUFRQVHQVXV¶ David Adrian McQueen 7KH%%&¶VµIODJVKLS¶FXUUHQWDIIDLUVVHULHVPanorama, occupies a central place in %ULWDLQ¶VWHOHYLVLRQKLVWRU\DQG\HWVXUSULVLQJO\LWLVUHODWLYHO\QHJOHFWHGLQDFDGHPLF studies of the medium. Much that has been written focuses on Panorama¶VFRYHUDJHRI armed conflicts (notably Suez, Northern Ireland and the Falklands) and deals, primarily, with programmes which met with Government disapproval and censure. However, little has been written on Panorama¶VOHVVFRQWURYHUVLDOPRUHURXWLQHZDUUeporting, or on WKHSURJUDPPH¶VPRUHUHFHQWKLVWRU\LWVHYROYLQJMRXUQDOLVWLFSUDFWLFHVDQGSODFHZLWKLQ the current affairs form. This thesis explores these areas and examines the framing of war narratives within Panorama¶VFRYHUDJHRIWKH*XOIFRQIOLFWV of 1991 and 2003. One accusation in studies looking beyond Panorama¶VPRUHFRQWHQWLRXVHSLVRGHVLVWKDW
    [Show full text]
  • M the Official Amstrad Business Magazine
    Vol. 1 No. 4 December 1986 AMSTRAD£1.25 | COMPUTING- V; ■ I mm m >■ V aL- The Official Amstrad Business Magazine The Condor 1 Commands - They couldn’t be simpler! Database Creation and Maintenance DEFINE Create, redefine or describe a database DESTROY Eliminate a database or file FORMAT Create or revise a form or HELP screen REORG Reorganize the structure of a database; add or delete items Information Input and Update APPEND Attach records of one database to another EMPTY Eliminate all data in a database ENTER Insert new data into a database POST Update entries in one database with those from another UPDATE Change entries in a J--.abase meeting specified cni Jiiitions Informations* ssingand Report Writing COMPARE ' ;v*i.*are orgies in two ■■■...•.vjfcsfa- /not) n • hing o editions and The Database Manager and Reporter. c. < RE ;• i JLT database COMPUTE . ie<: iesina You know that Caxton only publish superior software products. LIST 0; datf.'i j;,se records in Cardbox is the world’s best-selling simple electronic card index. sesjc :?-^er Brainstorm is the world’s first ideas processor. Scratchpad plus is the PRINT Pirfctf. shtab^va records in ewisr only enhanced Virtual Memory Spreadsheet available foryour PRINTER Pri; ;lei output control and Amstrad. And Touch ’n’ Go is the UK’s most highly respected disk- refection SELECT Select database records based typing T\itor. meeting specified conditions, creating a Now we present Condor 1 - Mainframe computing for your Amstrad. RESULT database SORT Sort database records by Condor 1 is an extensive database management and reporting system entries STAX View or print statistics of for the non-programmer.
    [Show full text]
  • UK, the Sample Is Fairly Representative of the Entire Country
    ✓ Population (millions): 66,022,270 ✓ Female (% of total): 50.7% ✓ 25-29 y.o. (% of female population): 7% ✓ Area: 242,545 km² ✓ Density: 272.90 pop./km² ✓ GDP (Global): 2,624.53 Md $USD (5th) ✓ GDP (per capita): 39,720 USD /capita (28th) ✓ System: Parliamentary constitutional monarchy ✓ Head of State: Elizabeth II (Monarch since 1952), Theresa May (Prime Minister since 2016) ✓ Women in national parliament (%, Nov. 2018) : 32.2% ✓ Fertility rate: 1.83 births / woman (2014) ✓ Population growth: 0.65 % / year ✓ Life expectancy: 81 years ✓ Female: 83 years ✓ Male: 79 years ✓ Average age of women at first birth : 29.9 Source : World Bank / IMF / Interparliamentary Union ✓ Ease of doing business: 9th ✓ Starting a business (procedure, time, cost): 19th ✓ Time required to start a business: 4.5 days ✓ Unemployment: 4.3% ✓ Women: 4.2% ✓ Men: 4.4% ✓ Female share of employment in senior and middle management (%): 34% ✓ Maternity pay and leave: 52 weeks / 90% of the pay (Father: 14 days) ✓ Law ensuring women an equivalent post after maternity leave: Yes Source : World Bank / United Nations / Doing Business / PopulationData.Net /Interparliamentary Union / HuffPost / INS Global Consulting ✓ The study was conducted by Market Probe ✓ The sample was sourced via an online panel ✓ Panelists were send an e-mail invitation to the survey and could Target take the survey online Male Female 20-29 248 255 ✓ Those who entered the survey were screened on age, gender and 30-39 243 250 region (where applicable) ✓ Quota stops were put in place to ensure representation
    [Show full text]
  • Government and Politics Weekly Review - Week Commencing 30Th November 2020
    GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS WEEKLY REVIEW - WEEK COMMENCING 30TH NOVEMBER 2020 THE BEST ARTICLES, PODCASTS, INTERVIEWS AND ANALYSIS – HELPING YOU KEEP UP TO DATE 1 https://jonbiggerpoliticstuition.co.uk/subscribe Contents Podcasts of the Week! P3 UK Politics p4 US Politics p5 Global Governance p6 To book click here! 2 Podcasts of the week! Each week I select a sample of really good podcasts to help you with your studies. I listen to several each week and so these are the best of the best. There are three but you’ll only need two. I recommend all students listen to the UK politics podcast of the week. I’ve also picked out a podcast for each of the US Politics and Global Governance options so pick the one that is relevant to your studies! UK Politics Podcast of the Week – Sunak’s Spending Review analysed. The Guardian. US Politics Podcast of the Week – Americast provided the latest analysis on the election. Global Governance Podcast of the Week – The New Statesman’s World Review considered Biden’s Irish roots and what that might mean for Brexit 3 UK POLITICS • The BBC profiled Allegra Stratton, the PM’s new press secretary. [audio] • The Home Office broke equality law with their ‘hostile environment’. The Metro reports. [article] • Baroness Sugg resigned from the government (collective responsibility) over reduction sin the aid budget. [tweet] • The Guardian laid out (and into) Sunak’s Spending Review. [article] • The FT looks at Johnson’s new Chief of Staff. [article] • Sky considered the legacy of Thatcher. [article] 4 This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA US POLITICS • Trump was keen to set a slightly different tone, whilst still claiming he conceded nothing.
    [Show full text]
  • Adam Dant 'The Government Stable'
    ADAM DANT ‘THE GOVERNMENT STABLE’ 2015 GENERAL ELECTION ARTWORK – A KEY TO THE DRAWING ADAM DANT ‘THE GOVERNMENT STABLE’ 2015 GENERAL ELECTION ARTWORK Places: 1. Leeds Town Hall: The Victorian Civic architectural splendor of Leeds Town Hall was the venue for the BBC’s final leadership orations. The ceiling and arches are decorated with the logos of the UK political parties. 2. Central Methodist Hall, Westminster: The clock and pipe organ are from the Central Methodist Hall where the BBC’s ‘Challengers’ Debate’ took place. At 10pm the clock marks the time that polling stations across the UK closed and voting ended. 3. Swindon University Technical College Water Tower and Courtyard Pavement: Venue for The Conservative Party Manifesto Launch; the college occupies Swindon’s former Railway Village. 4. Testbed 1 Nightclub Battersea: Hanging from the ceiling are glow-stick lights from the trendy, power-cut-hit, Liberal Democrat Manifesto launch venue. Panels on the ceiling are decorated with the Lib Dem’s backdrop of children’s hand prints. 5. Arcellor Mittal Tower, Queen Elizabeth ll Olympic Park: The Labour Party Election Campaign launch took place in the viewing gallery of the Mittal tower. The party leader was introduced by an NHS nurse entering through a receiving line of cheering Labour Student activists. 6. Escalators from UKIP’s poster on immigration policy. 7. Rahere Climbing Centre, Edinburgh: Vertiginous, hand hold studded climbing walls provided the backdrop to the Scottish National party Manifesto launch. 8. The White Cliffs of Dover: The United Kingdom Independence Party unveiled a campaign poster depicting three escalators traveling up the White Cliffs of Dover at The Coastguard Inn, St Margaret’s with the cliffs the English Channel and France Telecom on everyone’s mobile phones as a backdrop.
    [Show full text]
  • Political Party Funding
    1071 Party Funding.qxd 30/11/04 11:32 Page a3 December 2004 The funding of political parties Report and recommendations 1071 Party Funding.qxd 30/11/04 11:32 Page a4 Translations and other formats For information on obtaining this publication in another language or in a large-print or Braille version please contact The Electoral Commission: Tel: 020 7271 0500 Email: [email protected] The Electoral Commission We are an independent body that was set up by the UK Parliament. We aim to gain public confidence and encourage people to take part in the democratic process within the UK by modernising the electoral process, promoting public awareness of electoral matters and regulating political parties. The funding of political parties Report and recommendations Copyright © The Electoral Commission 2004 ISBN: 1-904363-54-7 1071 Party Funding.qxd 30/11/04 11:32 Page 1 1 Contents Executive summary 3 Financial implications of limiting donations 84 Commission position 86 1Introduction 7 Political parties 7 6Public funding of political parties 89 Review process 9 Background 89 Priorities 10 Direct public funding 90 Scope 10 Indirect public funding 92 Stakeholders’ views 94 2 Attitudes towards the funding of Commission position 97 political parties 13 Reforming the policy development Research 13 grant scheme 97 Public opinion 14 New forms of public funding 98 Party activists 20 Attitudes towards implementation 23 7 The way forward 103 The importance of political parties 103 3Party income and expenditure 25 The way forward 104 The
    [Show full text]
  • Winter 2010 Bulletin
    Working for Quality and Diversity in Broadcasting Winter 2010/11 Bulletin Issue 103 WATCHING THE CONSEQUENCES OF THE VLV’s 28th Spring Conference HASTY LICENCE FEE SETTLEMENT Tuesday 12 April 2011 BBC Director-General Mark Thompson, speaking publicly at 10.15am - 3.30pm VLV’s Autumn Conference for the first time since the Geological Society, Burlington House, London W1 settlement, said that he had been the lead negotiator for the BBC but that the proposals had been endorsed by the BBC The keynote speaker will be Helen Trust. The BBC felt they could live with the proposed strategy Boaden, Director, BBC News. Stewart and the 16% cut in BBC income over the next six years and Purvis, Professor of Journalism at City emerge stronger. University, will be in the Mr Thompson said that, although he regretted the inability to chair. consult licence payers, his feeling was that the BBC had secured a better deal than if they had waited, as anticipated, Helen Boaden has been Director, BBC News since for a decision in spring 2011. 2004 and will shortly Helen Boaden VLV President Jocelyn Hay said, commenting on his become a member of the statement, “VLV members were assured by Mark Thompson BBC’s Executive Board. During her time that the diversity of public service broadcasting would be as Controller, BBC Radio 4 from 2000 to retained but much has still to be decided and the devil will lie 2004, the network twice won the Sony in the detail. Our members are concerned that the summary Gold Award for Station of the Year.
    [Show full text]
  • Intro to the Journalists Register
    REGISTER OF JOURNALISTS’ INTERESTS (As at 2 October 2018) INTRODUCTION Purpose and Form of the Register Pursuant to a Resolution made by the House of Commons on 17 December 1985, holders of photo- identity passes as lobby journalists accredited to the Parliamentary Press Gallery or for parliamentary broadcasting are required to register: ‘Any occupation or employment for which you receive over £770 from the same source in the course of a calendar year, if that occupation or employment is in any way advantaged by the privileged access to Parliament afforded by your pass.’ Administration and Inspection of the Register The Register is compiled and maintained by the Office of the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards. Anyone whose details are entered on the Register is required to notify that office of any change in their registrable interests within 28 days of such a change arising. An updated edition of the Register is published approximately every 6 weeks when the House is sitting. Changes to the rules governing the Register are determined by the Committee on Standards in the House of Commons, although where such changes are substantial they are put by the Committee to the House for approval before being implemented. Complaints Complaints, whether from Members, the public or anyone else alleging that a journalist is in breach of the rules governing the Register, should in the first instance be sent to the Registrar of Members’ Financial Interests in the Office of the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards. Where possible the Registrar will seek to resolve the complaint informally. In more serious cases the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards may undertake a formal investigation and either rectify the matter or refer it to the Committee on Standards.
    [Show full text]
  • Interview List. On-Screen and On-Air Talent. an Assessment of the BBC's
    ON SCREEN AND ON AIR TALENT AN ASSESSMENT OF THE BBC’S APPROACH AND IMPACT A REPORT FOR THE BBC TRUST APPENDIX V – BBC TRUST TALENT REVIEW INTERVIEW LIST BY OLIVER & OHLBAUM ASSOCIATES APRIL 2008 APPENDIX V - BBC TRUST TALENT REVIEW INTERVIEW LIST (those willing to be named) BBC BBC Vision Comedy, Lucy Lumsden, Controller of Comedy Commissioning BBC Vision Comedy, Mark Freedland, Head of Comedy BBC Vision Comedy, Jez Nightingale, Production Executive BBC Vision Comedy, Richard Curwen, Head of Business & Legal Affairs BBC Vision Knowledge, George Entwistle, Head of TV Current Affairs BBC Vision Knowledge, Keith Scholey, Deputy Chief Creative Officer of BBC Vision BBC Vision Knowledge, Anne Sullivan (AS), Head of Operations & Business Affairs BBC Vision Entertainment, Jon Beazley, Controller Entertainment Group BBC Vision Entertainment, Elaine Bell, Controller Entertainment Commissioning BBC Vision Entertainment, Roger Leatham, Head of Operations & Business Affairs BBC Vision, Claire Evans, Head of Operations & Business Affairs Talent Rights Group, Simon Hayward Tapp – Head of BBC Rights Talent Rights Group, Annie Thomas, Rights Manager Talent Rights Group, John Holland, Rights Manager BBC Vision Drama, Jane Tranter, Controller BBC Fiction BBC Vision Drama, Nicolas Brown, Director of Drama Production BBC News, Helen Boaden, Director of News BBC News, Peter Horrocks, Head of TV News BBC News, Stephen Mitchell, Head of Programming and Radio News BBC News, Madhav Chinnappa, Head of Rights BBC News, Tessa Beckett, Contracts Manager BBC News,
    [Show full text]
  • Cteea/S5/20/25/A Culture, Tourism, Europe And
    CTEEA/S5/20/25/A CULTURE, TOURISM, EUROPE AND EXTERNAL AFFAIRS COMMITTEE AGENDA 25th Meeting, 2020 (Session 5) Thursday 29 October 2020 The Committee will meet at 9.00 am in a virtual meeting and will be broadcast on www.scottishparliament.tv. 1. Decision on taking business in private: The Committee will decide whether to take item 6 in private. 2. Subordinate legislation: The Committee will take evidence on the Census (Scotland) Amendment Order 2020 [draft] from— Fiona Hyslop, Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Fair Work and Culture, and Jamie MacQueen, Lawyer, Scottish Government; Pete Whitehouse, Director of Statistical Services, National Records of Scotland. 3. Subordinate legislation: Fiona Hyslop (Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Fair Work and Culture) to move— S5M-22767—That the Culture, Tourism, Europe and External Affairs Committee recommends that the Census (Scotland) Amendment Order 2020 [draft] be approved. 4. BBC Annual Report and Accounts: The Committee will take evidence from— Steve Carson, Director, BBC Scotland; Glyn Isherwood, Chief Financial Officer, BBC. 5. Consideration of evidence (in private): The Committee will consider the evidence heard earlier in the meeting. 6. Pre-Budget Scrutiny: The Committee will consider correspondence. CTEEA/S5/20/25/A Stephen Herbert Clerk to the Culture, Tourism, Europe and External Affairs Committee Room T3.40 The Scottish Parliament Edinburgh Tel: 0131 348 5234 Email: [email protected] CTEEA/S5/20/25/A The papers for this meeting are as follows— Agenda item 2 Note by the Clerk CTEEA/S5/20/25/1 Agenda item 4 Note by the Clerk CTEEA/S5/20/25/2 PRIVATE PAPER CTEEA/S5/20/25/3 (P) Agenda item 6 PRIVATE PAPER CTEEA/S5/20/25/4 (P) CTEEA/S5/20/25/1 Culture, Tourism, Europe and External Affairs Committee 25th Meeting, 2020 (Session 5), Thursday 29 October 2020 Subordinate Legislation Note by the Clerk Overview of instrument 1.
    [Show full text]
  • Labour's Last Fling on Constitutional Reform
    | THE CONSTITUTION UNIT NEWSLETTER | ISSUE 43 | SEPTEMBER 2009 | MONITOR LABOUR’S LAST FLING ON CONSTITUTIONAL REFORM IN THIS ISSUE Gordon Brown’s bold plans for constitutional constitutional settlement …We will work with the reform continue to be dogged by bad luck and bad British people to deliver a radical programme of PARLIAMENT 2 - 3 judgement. The bad luck came in May, when the democratic and constitutional reform”. MPs’ expenses scandal engulfed Parliament and government and dominated the headlines for a Such rhetoric also defies political reality. There is EXECUTIVE 3 month. The bad judgement came in over-reacting a strict limit on what the government can deliver to the scandal, promising wide ranging reforms before the next election. The 2009-10 legislative which have nothing to do with the original mischief, session will be at most six months long. There PARTIES AND ELECTIONS 3-4 and which have limited hope of being delivered in is a risk that even the modest proposals in the the remainder of this Parliament. Constitutional Reform and Governance Bill will not pass. It was not introduced until 20 July, DEVOLUTION 4-5 The MPs’ expenses scandal broke on 8 May. As the day before the House rose for the summer the Daily Telegraph published fresh disclosures recess. After a year’s delay, the only significant day after day for the next 25 days public anger additions are Part 3 of the bill, with the next small HUMAN RIGHTS 5 mounted. It was not enough that the whole steps on Lords reform (see page 2); and Part 7, to issue of MPs’ allowances was already being strengthen the governance of the National Audit investigated by the Committee on Standards in Office.
    [Show full text]
  • The BBC's Role in the News Media Landscape
    The BBC’s Role in the News Media Landscape: The Publishers’ View The BBC Charter Review provides an opportunity for the government to look at the future of the BBC and its evolving role in the wider media landscape. The green paper on Charter Review asks some important questions about the BBC’s scale and scope, funding and governance, and the impact of its ever-growing range of services on commercial media competitors: Does the BBC’s £3.7 billion per year of public funding give it an unfair advantage and distort audience share in a way that undermines commercial business models? Does its huge online presence and extensive free online content damage a wide range of players? Is the BBC able to continue to develop great content to audiences, efficiently and cost effectively while minimising any negative impact on the wider market and maximising any benefits? Is the expansion of the BBC’s services justified in the context of increased choice for audiences? Is the BBC crowding out commercial competition and, if so, is this justified? How should the BBC’s commercial operations, including BBC Worldwide, be reformed? How should the current model of governance and regulation for the BBC be reformed? The News Media Association (NMA), the voice of independent commercial news brands in the UK, believes that the system of BBC governance should place greater obligations on the BBC to work collaboratively – rather than in competition - with the wider news sector. We commissioned Oliver and Ohlbaum Associates (O&O) to examine the changing market for news services and the BBC’s expanding role within that market.
    [Show full text]