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Select Committee · Culture, Media and Sport Committee

Pre-legislative scrutiny of the Draft Media Bill

Status: Closed Opened: 19 Apr 2023 Closed: 5 Feb 2024 30 recommendations 5 conclusions 2 reports

The DCMS Committee is inviting views on a draft Bill aimed at modernising broadcasting legislation to help public service broadcasters meet the challenges created by the growth of on-demand services and new technology. The Government’s draft Media Bill , published last month, would broaden how broadcasters can meet their public service obligations and bring some …

Clear

Reports

2 reports
Title HC No. Published Items Response
Thirteenth Report - Draft Media Bill: Final Report HC 1807 22 Sep 2023 21 —
Twelfth Report - Draft Media Bill: Radio Measures HC 1287 21 Jul 2023 14 Responded

Recommendations & Conclusions

3 items
3 Recommendation Twelfth Report - Draft Media Bill: Radi… Rejected

Specify in the Bill which Acts of Parliament are subject to this power.

The Government has demonstrated a necessity for the power to regulate for localness requirements to be so broad as to include amendment of any Act of Parliament. This power should be restricted to specified Acts in line with similar provisions in the Communications Act 2003. We recommend that the Bill …

Government response. The government amended the Bill to clarify that the power to amend other legislation must be consequential, but rejected specifying Acts of Parliament, citing unhelpful inflexibility and the infeasibility of listing all potential amendments.
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
10 Recommendation Twelfth Report - Draft Media Bill: Radi… Rejected

Mandate affirmative procedure for regulations designating radio selection services in Media Bill.

We disagree with the Government’s conclusion that the negative resolution procedure is appropriate for regulations designating a radio selection service or amending its definition. The Bill does not require the Secretary of State to accept Ofcom’s recommendations and allows her to substitute her own. The requirement Draft Media Bill: Radio …

Government response. The government rejects the recommendation for affirmative procedure, stating that the Bill no longer designates via description, and that specific designation is a largely administrative step where the framework is set by Parliament and Ofcom provides advice.
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
12 Recommendation Twelfth Report - Draft Media Bill: Radi… Rejected

Amend Bill to include on-demand and online content from Ofcom-regulated broadcasters.

The Government’s approach to on-demand and online-only content appears at odds with market trends. Listeners are increasingly choosing to access content on- demand or listen to online-only stations and there is merit in including these forms of content provision within the scope of the Bill. We agree that the Government …

Government response. The government rejected the recommendation, stating it does not agree there is a policy case for intervention at this stage, as the current measures are targeted and proportionate given live radio is still the main consumption method.
Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Oral evidence sessions

4 sessions
Date Witnesses
4 Jul 2023 Colin Browne · Voice of the Listener and Viewer, Kate Biggs · Ofcom, Kate Davies · Ofcom, Robert Specterman-Green · Department for Culture, Media and Sport, Rt Hon Sir John Whittingdale MP · Department for Culture, Media and Sport View ↗
27 Jun 2023 Alistair Law · Sky, Anna Hatfield · Amazon, Benjamin King · Netflix, Lewis Walmesley-Browne · techUK, Richard Stern · TuneIn, Rosie Johnston-Luff · Google View ↗
20 Jun 2023 Clare Sumner CBE · BBC, Elin Morris · S4C, John Morrison · MG Alba, Martin Steers · UK Community Radio Network, Matt Payton · Radiocentre, Paul Oldfield · BBC View ↗
6 Jun 2023 Khalid Hayat · Channel 4, Magnus Brooke · ITV, Mitchell Simmons · Paramount View ↗

Correspondence

1 letter
DateDirectionTitle
21 Nov 2023 To cttee Letter from Kate Biggs, Director of Public Policy, Ofcom, relating to Ofcom’s r…