Source · Select Committees · Culture, Media and Sport Committee
Sixth Report - The future of public service broadcasting
Culture, Media and Sport Committee
HC 156
Published 25 March 2021
Government response
First Special Report - The future of public service broadcasting: Government Response to Committee’s Sixth Report of Session 2019–21 · published 17 Jun 2021
Recommendations & Conclusions
10
Recommendation
Rejected
Para 61
It took the Government almost 10 months to respond to the consultation on decriminalisation of...
Recommendation
It took the Government almost 10 months to respond to the consultation on decriminalisation of TV licence fee evasion. Delays of this nature by DCMS in reforming other areas of broadcasting, such as prominence, would be of significant concern. Of …
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Government Response Summary
The government is actively considering decriminalisation within the ongoing licence fee settlement negotiations, effectively rejecting the committee's call for assurance that it would not be used as a bargaining tool, and does not address the request to publish findings on enforcement schemes by session end.
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
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12
Recommendation
Rejected
Para 65
We recognise the problems associated with the licence fee and, in the annex to this...
Recommendation
We recognise the problems associated with the licence fee and, in the annex to this Report, explore the existing alternatives. None of these are sufficiently attractive to justify recommending, for the next Charter period, that they replace the current 52 …
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Government Response Summary
The government rejects the recommendation, stating it does not agree that a decision on the BBC's funding model needs to be made now and will reconsider it ahead of the next Charter Review in 2027.
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
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18
Recommendation
Rejected
Para 89
We recommend the Government impose two specific requirements in relation to PSB content hosted on...
Recommendation
We recommend the Government impose two specific requirements in relation to PSB content hosted on other streaming services in new media legislation. First, PSB content The future of public service broadcasting 53 should be clearly labelled as such and branded …
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Government Response Summary
The government defers to ongoing reviews for changes to the legislative framework, and for brand attribution and data sharing, views them as matters for contractual negotiation, hoping for voluntary data sharing rather than legislative imposition.
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
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23
Recommendation
Rejected
Para 103
The lack of workforce data collected and shared by streaming services in the UK is...
Recommendation
The lack of workforce data collected and shared by streaming services in the UK is of great concern. The Government must ensure that regulators have access to top line data, in line with that provided by traditional broadcasters, to enable …
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Government Response Summary
The government rejects the recommendation to include a requirement for streaming services to provide workforce diversity data in new legislation, citing the need to balance regulation burden on enterprises and referencing existing Ofcom powers.
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
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24
Recommendation
Rejected
Para 104
PSBs should be leading by example.
Recommendation
PSBs should be leading by example. The current gaps in employment data supplied to Ofcom are of significant concern. We recommend that Ofcom place minimum requirement obligations on PSBs, in terms of the employment data they provide, in order to …
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Government Response Summary
The government rejects the recommendation to amend the statutory framework to mandate minimum employment data requirements for PSBs, stating that Ofcom already has powers and citing the need to balance the burden of regulation on enterprise.
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
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25
Recommendation
Rejected
Para 105
We are concerned that, without monitoring, there is no way to tell whether transgender people...
Recommendation
We are concerned that, without monitoring, there is no way to tell whether transgender people are being fairly represented in the workplace. Whilst there should be no requirement for someone to declare to their employer that they are transgender, we …
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Government Response Summary
The government rejects the recommendation to expand diversity monitoring to include transgender declaration, citing existing frameworks and the need to balance regulation burden on businesses.
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
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27
Recommendation
Rejected
Para 112
Diversity within the industry has improved in recent years—for example, there is a better gender...
Recommendation
Diversity within the industry has improved in recent years—for example, there is a better gender balance—but progress continues to be too slow. It is taking too long to address inequality within the industry and much more needs to be done …
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Government Response Summary
The government states it is committed to supporting diversity and relies on existing statutory frameworks and ongoing work with the British Film Institute to promote representation, but it does not propose to amend the statutory framework to accelerate improvements.
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
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29
Recommendation
Rejected
Para 118
Increasing diversity in commissioning and production roles is crucial for improving on-screen diversity.
Recommendation
Increasing diversity in commissioning and production roles is crucial for improving on-screen diversity. We recommend that Ofcom introduce requirements for the number of BAME, LGBTQ+ and disabled people in commissioning and senior production roles to improve authentic on-screen representation of …
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Government Response Summary
The government rejects the recommendation for Ofcom to introduce specific diversity requirements for BAME, LGBTQ+, and disabled people in senior production roles, citing existing statutory frameworks and the burden of regulation on businesses.
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
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