Policy
5. Addressing the activities of a Department with
such a diverse set of responsibilities is a challenge. The eight
Reports of substance published by the Committee in 2007 cover
between them the majority of departmental policy areas, from media
(print and broadcast) through to creative industries, preparations
for the London 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games, and cultural
property. A further range of policy areas is addressed by inquiries
currently under way into sport, tourism and on-course horserace
betting.
6. Different inquiries are undertaken for different
reasons. In some cases, we are seeking to inform or comment upon
white papers or major reviews of policy. For instance:
- Our inquiry into built heritage,
published in 2006,[2] sought
to influence the preparation by the Department of the one White
Paper which it published in 2007, in March: Heritage Protection
for the 21st Century.[3]
- Our Reports on New Media and the Creative Industries[4]
and on Public Service Content[5]
both included recommendations to Ofcom in relation to its Digital
Dividend Review, a major exercise to draw up principles for the
allocation of spectrum to be released by digital switchover.
- Our Report on Public Service Content will inform
Ofcom's second statutory review of public service television broadcasting,
now in progress, as well as two reviews of funding for public
service broadcasting announced by the Government.
- Our Report on New Media and the Creative Industries
also made observations upon elements of the Gowers Review of Intellectual
Property, commissioned by the Government and published during
the course of our inquiry.
- Our long-term inquiry into the London 2012 Olympic
Games and Paralympic Games has already led us to publish one Report,
which assessed in detail the funding and various legacies expected
from the Games.[6] A further
inquiry is now under way; and
- Our inquiry into the European Commission White
Paper on Sport, announced in November 2007, will provide the Department
with a perspective from Parliament on the merits of the White
Paper and will, we hope, influence the position which it takes
on the White Paper in EU fora.
7. In some cases, inquiries can help to provide a
steer to the Department when there is debate or uncertainty within
Government about how policy might be developed. Our inquiry into
ticket touting took place after a series of summits had been convened
by the Department, bringing together interested parties to try
to establish whether the industry could reach agreement on the
secondary ticket market or whether Government intervention was
required. Limited progress was made at the summits, and it emerged
that the Department was considering whether to extend existing
statutory controls on touting, for instance by banning the unauthorised
resale of tickets for specified events (similar to the "Crown
Jewels" list of sporting events).[7]
Our Report on this difficult issue[8]
provides guidance to the Department on what further information
we believe needs to be gathered to allow more informed policy-making,
and it identifies where there may be scope for devising a compromise
acceptable to all sides.
8. Other inquiries seek to address areas where policy
appears to be deficient or slow to respond to developments. Our
inquiry into Call TV quiz shows[9]
was prompted by reports of dubious practices by producers and
broadcasters in relation to a particular type of televised quiz
show, in which members of the public participate using phone lines
chargeable at premium rates. On further investigation, we concluded
that the relevant regulatory frameworks established by Parliament
(under gambling and broadcasting legislation) were in some cases
unclear, lax, or outdated. The Committee's concerns proved well-founded,
and our Report proved to be one of the first steps in a gradual
exposure of more widespread malpractice in game shows and phone-in
programmes, calling into question the production standards used
in programming broadcast by each of the main terrestrial broadcasters.
9. A further example of an inquiry into policy which
might be seen as deficient is our short inquiry into on-course
horserace betting, announced in July 2007 and now nearing completion.
The passage of the Gambling Act 2005 has had consequences for
the administration and allocation of pitch positions for on-course
horserace bookmakers; some of these consequences may have been
unforeseen and are potentially damaging to on-course bookmakers,
and the Committee has considered, among other things, whether
the Department has a responsibility to develop its policy in such
a way as to mitigate those consequences.
10. Another of our inquiries, into collections,[10]
was intended to examine policy in an area which receives comparatively
little attention elsewhere in Parliament, notwithstanding the
significant commitment of funds required to support museums and
galleries and the major part which they can play in meeting the
Government's aims by stimulating learning among people of all
ages and backgrounds.
11. Our scrutiny of policy extends to the various
public bodies which come under the Department's wing. Some, such
as the Museums, Libraries and Archives Partnership, the Horserace
Betting Levy Board and UK Sport have given evidence in the course
of inquiries into relevant subject areas. Others have given oral
evidence on the basis of their Annual Report (BBC) or Annual Plan
(Ofcom). The particular significance in the case of the BBC is
that it is not directly accountable to Ministers: scrutiny depends
to a large extent on select committees.
12. In the Queen's Speech in November 2007, the Department
announced that it would be publishing two draft Bills in the 200708
Session: the draft Cultural Property (Armed Conflicts) Bill and
a draft Bill on heritage protection, giving effect to the overall
policy proposals set out in the White Paper on heritage protection
published in March 2007. We commend the Government for its commitment
to publishing bills in draft, and we expect to take oral evidence
on the draft Bill on heritage protection as well as conducting
scrutiny of the draft Cultural Property (Armed Conflicts) Bill.
Expenditure and administration
13. It is the Committee's standard practice to examine
the Departmental Annual Report and to submit questions based upon
the Report to the Department. The Department's response is then
treated as a memorandum to inform questioning at an oral evidence
session with the Secretary of State and senior officials. While
much of the questioning at such sessions explores policy, it also
offers an opportunity to examine the Department's performance
against PSA targets and administrative matters. Much of the financial
expertise and analysis to support this exercise is provided by
the Committee Office Scrutiny Unit.
14. The Committee pursues an active exchange of correspondence
with the Department on the content and presentation of Main and
Supplementary Estimates and of Resource Accounts. As with examination
of Departmental Annual Reports, we are assisted in this exercise
by the Committee Office Scrutiny Unit.
15. Over 95% of the Department's expenditure is
channelled through sponsored bodies, most of which are non-departmental
public bodies (NDPBs).[11]
Starting from December 2007, we plan to undertake a more systematic
examination of Annual Reports of major NDPBs, assessing performance
against targets, staffing and expenditure. As with the DCMS Departmental
Annual Report, much of this scrutiny will be undertaken by correspondence.
We see scope for assistance from both the Committee Office Scrutiny
Unit and the National Audit Office in conducting such scrutiny.
Written questions have already been sent to Arts Council England,
English Heritage and National Museums and Galleries on Merseyside;
questions to other NDPBs will follow. We may choose to follow
up responses by taking oral evidence and, if warranted, by publishing
a Report.
Assisting the House in debate
and decision
16. Table 2 in the Annex offers examples of ways
in which the Committee's work has informed the House in its proceedings
during the year.
2 Protecting and Preserving our Heritage, Third
Report, Session 2005-06, HC 912-1 Back
3
Cm 7057 Back
4
Fifth Report from the Committee, HC 509-I, Session 2006-07 Back
5
First Report from the Committee, HC 36-I, Session 2007-08 Back
6
Second Report from the Committee, HC 69-I, Session 2006-07 Back
7
"Crown Jewel" events are sporting events for which the
rights for live broadcast coverage must first be offered to generally
available free-to-air channels. Back
8
Ticket touting, Second Report from the Committee, HC 202,
Session 2007-08 Back
9
Call TV Quiz Shows, Third Report from the Committee, HC
72, Session 2006-07 Back
10
Caring for our Collections, Sixth Report from the Committee,
HC176-I, Session 2006-07 Back
11
DCMS Departmental Annual Report 2007, Cm 7104, page 57 Back
