Major future developments
76. The 2003-06 PSA provides DCMS with specific objectives
and performance targets to meet, encouraging better performance
in these areas of the Department's work that it feels are in need
of attention and improvement. We are concerned that DCMS should
not focus solely on these priorities to the detriment of areas
within their remit that are not covered by the Public Service
Agreement. There are a number of major developments that fall
within the remit of the Department which require DCMS staff and
sponsored bodies to work hard and dedicate resources to, where
success will not be measured against PSA targets. These include
the following list:
Culture:
- Heritage conservation and protection;
- encouragement of participation in the arts.
Media:
- BBC Charter renewal;
- analogue switch-off;
- contribution to universal internet access and
broadband roll out;
- Ofcom implementation.
Sport:
- Olympics
- grassroots participation in sport.
General:
77. In relation to the above list, we were concerned
that the 2003-06 PSA does not encourage enhanced performance in
a number of areas. For example, heritage is included within PSA
targets 1 and 2. However, within these targets the focus is on
increasing public access/number of visits to heritage sites to
increase the educational and cultural value for children and adults
in target groups. The targets do not necessarily stimulate or
'turbo-charge' the management and protection of this country's
heritage within the context of efficient and effective planning
procedures.
78. The renewal of the BBC's Royal Charter, and associated
Agreement with the Secretary of State, is a major project that
the Department will have to administer over the next three years
(with the current Charter due to expire on 31 December 2006).
The renewal will involve much public consultation, already underway,
and has the potential significantly to shape the future of public
service broadcasting. The Committee feel that it is critical for
DCMS to carry out this review to the best of its abilities and
is concerned that the lack of a PSA (or one relating to broadcasting
at all) could mean that resources and attention may be focused
at those areas against which performance is officially measured
and away from this and other topics not covered by the PSA. Much
of the above also applies to the approach of digital switch-over
where the target for analogue switch-off remains somewhere between
2006 and 2010. We note the Secretary of State's commitment to
the necessary steps to ensure that the "challenging target"
is met.[71] The DCMS
must continue to prepare the ground for analogue switch-off and
we are, again, concerned that the subject may be in danger of
falling off the agenda - due to the lack of a PSA target - to
re-emerge only when a crisis occurs. Informed public awareness
(which is essential to the process) should not be allowed to diminish.
We hope that this is not the case and urge the Department to ensure
that the public are engaged with the implications of Government
policy on this aspect of broadcasting - public service of the
highest importance in many people's lives.
79. The Department's contribution to universal internet
access and broadband roll-out was an area covered by the 2001-04
PSA targets and we believe that this was instrumental in bringing
about success in the installation of internet access in 99% of
public libraries. As stated earlier in this Report, we feel it
is vital that the Department does not lose momentum in this area
and we hope that access to the internet and especially broadband
will be made available publicly to those who do not have/cannot
gain private access. We have also discussed the importance of
the successful implementation of the Communications Act 2003 and
the establishment of Ofcom as an effective regulator earlier in
this Report.
80. Within the sporting remit of DCMS, we agree that
it is very important for the Department to focus attention and
resources on increasing participation in school sports and take-up
by the 20+ age group as identified in the PSA targets. We also
feel that it is essential for the Department to allocate time
and resources to increasing participation in grass-roots sports
of all types. We recognise that this is done to a certain extent
through the "sporting ladder" and through the introduction
of Community Coaches but we think that more needs to be done to
increase participation at grass-roots levels in many sports, most
importantly tackling the drop-out rate after school age. This
is important for the health and well-being of children and adults
but also links into the need to develop talent in all sports to
achieve success at major sporting events such as the Olympics.
81. The possibility that London wins the bid for
the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games may become a reality in
July 2005. The Department has already committed significant funding
to the bid and, of course, the available plans for funding the
Games if the bid is won set out large sums from a variety of sources.
It is essential that DCMS learn lessons from the planning for
other major events (World Cup and World Championships) and especially
the Manchester Commonwealth Games and the problems at Picketts
Lock. The staging of the largest international event of any
kind has the potential to yield great benefits to London and the
UK, but leadership, careful planning and good management are essential
from the outset. The Secretary of State must be ready to ensure
that this is undertaken, leading and coordinating across all Government
departments and in efficient and effective partnership with the
GLA, LDA, BOA, a national organising committee and other stakeholders.
82. The Department is currently undertaking a reform
of National Lottery licensing and distribution. The National Lottery
generated £1,591,781,000 for good causes in 2003.[72]
This significant amount of money is allocated to good causes through
16 National Lottery distributors who are DCMS-sponsored bodies.
The National Lottery Commission, responsible for awarding the
National Lottery licence and for the regulation of the operator,
is also a DCMS-sponsored body. The outcome of reform in this area
is critical to the amount raised for good causes and the effective
distribution of that money. We therefore hope that the Department
dedicates appropriate resources and focus these to ensure the
best possible outcome for good causes.
83. Coordinated planning across a number of these
areas will be vital as the Olympics, grass roots sporting participation
and the National Lottery, for example, are all linked in terms
of opportunities for cross-fertilisation between objectives and
resources. We will shortly be reporting specifically on the Government's
proposals for reforming the Lottery and the implications of plans
for the Olympic Games.
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