Select committee: Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee
Recommendation 20
Third Report - Pre-appointment hearing for Chair of the BBC Board
Published 15 Dec 2023
Addressed to Department for Culture, Media and Sport
Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee Pre-appointment hearing for Chair of the BBC All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Recommendation (the committee's words)
Dr Shah has considerable experience of broadcasting that he will bring to the role, with a clear focus on factual content, especially in politics, news and current affairs. During the hearing, we examined his experience and vision for other aspects of the work of the Corporation, including drama, entertainment and music. We welcome Dr Shah’s recognition of his need to gain further insight across the full breadth of the work of the BBC. If appointed, we expect him to be able to demonstrate what he has done to achieve this when appearing before the Committee next year as part of our scrutiny of the BBC.
From: Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee, Third Report - Pre-appointment hearing for Chair of the BBC Board (HC 383), 15 December 2023
Government response
The government responded to the whole report on 19 December 2023 (deadline 15 February 2024).
Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.The Secretary of State welcomes the Committee's view that Dr Samir Shah is appointable as BBC Chair, confirms his appointment will go to the Privy Council, and says she notes the points made in the Committee's report.
- On the appointment, the government says Dr Shah's appointment "will now be put to the next meeting of the Privy Council for His Majesty The King's final approval".
- On the Committee's concerns about engagement with the department, the letter sets out the Secretary of State's view of the Committee's work and states the department is "committed to continuing to work constructively with the Committee in the New Year".
- On the delay in providing paperwork, the government says the extension was "required in order to complete the necessary steps", including notifying candidates and "working through mitigations to conflicts of interest".
- The government says it is "eager to work with the Committee to assist scrutiny of the Football Governance Bill", which will establish a new Independent Football Regulator.