Third Report - Pre-appointment hearing for Chair of the BBC Board

The government's response

What the committee recommended 9

1. 20
   Dr Shah's experience strong in factual content; needs broader BBC insight. Recommendation
2. 21
   Dr Shah shows sound understanding of BBC challenges and funding requirements. Conclusion
3. 22
   No concerns about Dr Shah's conflicts of interest due to proposed mitigations. Conclusion
4. 23
   Dr Shah's leadership experience in large organisations beyond BBC is limited. Conclusion
5. 24
   Dr Shah reluctant to answer some questions; will provide written responses. Conclusion

See all 9 recommendations and conclusions

Sources

• Third Report - Pre-appointment hearing for Chair of the BBC Board ↗The committee's report, HC 383, parliament.uk
• Letter from Rt Hon Lucy Frazer MP, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, relating to the Government’s Response to the Committee’s Chair of the BBC Board Report, dated 19 December 2023 ↗The government's response, 19 December 2023, parliament.uk

Recommendations and conclusions 9

1. 20
   Dr Shah's experience strong in factual content; needs broader BBC insight. Recommendation · addressed to Department for Culture, Media and Sport 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.
2. 21
   Dr Shah shows sound understanding of BBC challenges and funding requirements. Conclusion · addressed to Department for Culture, Media and Sport Conclusion (the committee's words)

   In his written and oral evidence to the Committee, Dr Shah demonstrated awareness of the current and upcoming challenges facing broadcast media and the BBC specifically. His immediate priorities for the Corporation appeared narrowly focused on news and current affairs, but his broader view of the need for sustainable funding and continued, and ideally growing, relevance of the BBC showed a sound understanding of the requirements of the organisation and his responsibilities if appointed Chair. His recognition of the challenge of ensuring that the BBC is relevant to all audiences is welcome, as is his priority of ensuring that the nations and regions of the UK are represented by and benefiting from the work of the Corporation.
3. 22
   No concerns about Dr Shah's conflicts of interest due to proposed mitigations. Conclusion · addressed to Department for Culture, Media and Sport Conclusion (the committee's words)

   Dr Shah responded to our concerns about the BBC’s impartiality and independence from the Government, and the need for accountability from the organisation and from the Chair specifically to Parliament and the public. We have no grounds for concern about Dr Shah’s reported conflicts of interest, given his proposed mitigations, including resignations and recusal as required.
4. 23
   Dr Shah's leadership experience in large organisations beyond BBC is limited. Conclusion · addressed to Department for Culture, Media and Sport Conclusion (the committee's words)

   In addition to his extensive media background, Dr Shah’s CV also includes considerable board-level experience in arts and heritage organisations and on bodies relating to race equality. However, his experience in providing leadership in large organisations is limited to his previous senior executive and non-executive roles at the BBC, the most recent of which ended in 2010. We explored this background in our hearing, focusing on financial management and organisational change, during which Dr Shah accepted that he did not have other experience at the scale of the BBC.
5. 24
   Dr Shah reluctant to answer some questions; will provide written responses. Conclusion · addressed to Department for Culture, Media and Sport Conclusion (the committee's words)

   During our hearing, Dr Shah highlighted his significant experience with the BBC, but also relied on the more than 20 years since he was employed by the Corporation as a reason not to answer some of the questions we put to him. He was willing to be drawn on some issues, such as the BBC’s social media guidelines and his opinions of Gary Lineker’s adherence to them; however, on many other issues such as changes to local radio and cuts to Newsnight, he declined to express an opinion but undertook to write to the Committee with answers to some of the questions posed. We look forward to hearing from him shortly.
6. 25
   Dr Shah's unwillingness to express views on fundamental BBC principles disappoints. Conclusion · addressed to Department for Culture, Media and Sport Conclusion (the committee's words)

   We were disappointed that Dr Shah was not willing to express a view on fundamental principles, such as board level interference in the BBC and other bodies and on political impartiality. In his evidence to us, Dr Shah did not sufficiently demonstrate the strength and character that is needed to challenge the executive leadership of the BBC. Pre-appointment hearing for Chair of the BBC Board 9
7. 26
   Serious reservations about Dr Shah's willingness to challenge BBC leadership. Conclusion · addressed to Department for Culture, Media and Sport Conclusion (the committee's words)

   While we are of the view that Dr Shah is appointable as Chair, we have serious reservations about his willingness to offer his opinions and insight on some of the most fundamental issues facing the Corporation, and his ability to provide the robust challenge that the BBC leadership requires at this time.
8. 27
   Require Dr Shah to appear before Committee within three months if appointed. Conclusion · addressed to Department for Culture, Media and Sport Conclusion (the committee's words)

   If the Government chooses to proceed with the appointment of Dr Shah as Chair of the BBC Board, we expect him to appear before the Committee within the first three months of appointment to demonstrate that he has sufficiently considered and addressed our concerns. Work of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport
9. 28
   Encourage DCMS Ministers and officials to engage more constructively with Committee's parliamentary scrutiny. Recommendation · addressed to Department for Culture, Media and Sport Recommendation (the committee's words)

   We are disappointed by the Department’s engagement with the Committee prior to the pre-appointment hearing, and especially its failure to adhere to the Government’s own guidelines requiring that committees are provided with the necessary information at least seven working days to prepare for a hearing.29 The decision to provide the Committee with only four and a half working days to prepare, without explanation or apology, was compounded by the leaking of the Government’s preferred candidate and a subsequent announcement of changes to the licence fee and a review into the funding of the BBC less than a day later. We regret the Department for Culture, Media and Sport’s approach to Parliamentary scrutiny and encourage Ministers and officials to engage more constructively with the Committee’s work from this point forward. 29 Cabinet Office (January 2019), Cabinet Office Guidance: pre-appointment scrutiny by House of Commons select committees para 20 10 Pre-appointment hearing for Chair of the BBC Board