Select committee: Communications and Digital Committee
Recommendation 7
1st Report - Licence to change: BBC future funding
Published 18 Jul 2022
Paragraph 51
Communications and Digital Committee BBC future funding All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Recommendation (the committee's words)
When responding to the results of its independent review the Government should publish an assessment of the benefits that the BBC’s international output , including the World Service, provides to UK soft power and wider objectives in foreign policy, international trade and inward investment . This should set out how changes to the BBC’s funding might affect these benefits. The BBC should provide the Government with scenarios and estimates to inform this work. The Government should provide an interim update on this work by 1 December 2022.
From: Communications and Digital Committee, 1st Report - Licence to change: BBC future funding, paragraph 51, 18 July 2022
Government response
The government responded to the whole report on 26 October 2022 (deadline 13 October 2022).
Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.The Government welcomes the Committee's report and says it "remain[s] committed to conducting a review of the funding model", with further details to be set out "in due course".
- It agrees with the Committee's view that the licence fee's drawbacks are becoming more salient and that a comprehensive review is "a necessity", and says it will take the Committee's proposed core principles into account as it prepares to launch a review.
- On independent market impact studies, it says it "will consider" the recommendation, and the potential for commissioning and publishing them, "as planning for the review progresses".
- On the three funding models the Committee does not recommend (recommendations 9, 10 and 12), it says it "will set out its position" "following the review", and on radio behind a paywall it does "not want to rule out options at this stage".
- On public engagement, it expects the review to "engage widely with stakeholders" and says the Charter Review will follow the requirement to consult the public and Parliament; it does not commit to a separate plan or citizens' assemblies.