Select committee: Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee
Recommendation 5
Twelfth Report - Draft Media Bill: Radio Measures
Published 21 Jul 2023
Paragraph 25
Addressed to Department for Culture, Media and Sport
Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee Pre-legislative scrutiny of the Draft Media Bill All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Recommendation (the committee's words)
The radio industry and platforms raised legitimate concerns about the extent to which the Department for Culture, Media and Sport has examined the implications of the legislation. That the Department did not publish a full impact assessment for the radio selection services provisions alongside those for other Parts of the Bill has made it more difficult for us, and those directly affected by the Bill, to consider the impact it will have. While we support the overall aims and provisions of the Bill, we recognise that they are a step-change for the sector and it is vital that the Government 22 Draft Media Bill: Radio Measures engages with platforms and other technology stakeholders significantly and at pace to get the detail right. We urge the Government to pursue its technical engagement with stakeholders with the utmost urgency and to provide an update on progress to us when the House returns in September. We urge the Government to pursue its technical engagement with stakeholders with the utmost urgency and to provide an update on progress to us when the House returns in September.
From: Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee, Twelfth Report - Draft Media Bill: Radio Measures (HC 1287), paragraph 25, 21 July 2023
Government response
The government responded to the whole report on 17 November 2023.
Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.The Government welcomes the Committee's reports and says it has amended the Bill in response to a number of recommendations, while declining others, including changing the prominence descriptor from "appropriate" to "significant".
- On genres, the Government does not agree that reverting to a list of specific genre requirements is compatible with modernising the remit, but has amended the Bill to refer to an "appropriate range of genres". It accepts the second recommendation, on Ofcom recommending new content categories.
- On prominence, it has "decided not to change from 'appropriate' to 'significant'", citing flexibility across different user interfaces and operability concerns.
- On listed events, it has amended the Bill to allow Ofcom to draw up a list of 'relevant services' to close the streaming loophole. On digital rights, it is "considering this issue" and plans to set out more detail "in due course".
- On video-on-demand, it accepts the recommendation to lay a list of services before Parliament no fewer than 5 sitting days before designation, but continues with its tiered approach.