APPENDIX 3
Letter to Mr Roger Gale MP from the Chairman of the BBC
At the meeting of the Broadcasting Committee
on 15 July at which the BBC was represented by Jenny Abramsky
and Dominic Morris, you raised two issues in relation to the BBC's
plans for the Parliamentary Channel. One was whether the unit
operating the Channel within the BBC would be free standing. The
second was whether the BBC would wish to consider a case for direct
funding for this Channel.
On the first point, the Parliamentary Channel
will be a discrete unit reporting to the Director of Continous
News Services, Jenny Abramsky. We are setting it up, as we set
up our other television channels, with a separate commissioning
and scheduling arm that will set the strategy, control the money
and provide the editorial framework.
The BBC has given an absolute commitment to
provide uninterrupted unmediated coverage of the proceedings of
both Houses. The House of Commons will be transmitted live gavel
to gavel. The House of Lords' proceedings will be recorded and
transmitted uninterrupted gavel to gavel.
You also raised the question of whether the
World Service model of having a separate accounting officer would
not be more appropriate. The World Service is of course funded
wholly through Grant-in-Aid and therefore has a separate accounting
stream to Parliament. All licence fee funded operations are accounted
for by the Director General, as the BBC's accounting officer,
through the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport to
Parliament.
Looking to the long term, as I know your Inquiry
is doing, you ask the question of whether all coverage of Parliament
should be funded by Grant-in-Aid instead of the current arrangements
under PARBUL. That ultimately must be a matter for Parliament
and government. As far as the BBC is concerned, we believe that
the current arrangements work well because they ensure independence
from commercial and political influences. We are committed to
broad and effective coverage of Parliament and see this as an
important part of our public service remit which the licence fee
funds.
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