HC Deb 14 May 1981 vol 4 c313W
Mr. Morgan

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what are the annual salary and emoluments received by the Welsh governor of the BBC in respect of that office; what his duties entail and approximately how much time per week he is expected to devote to them; and what is the period of his appointment.

Mr. Mayhew

The members of the board of governors of the BBC are appointed as trustees of the public interest in broadcasting and their duties are contained in the corporation's Royal Charter and licence and agreement—as amended—and involve the overall supervision of the corporation's activities. These duties include, for example, the appointment of senior staff, settling the broad pattern of capital and current expenditure, giving general guidance on and regularly reviewing programme output and standards, and seeking to ascertain the views of the public on the whole range of the BBC's output. The board of governors—and committees of the board—generally meet once a fortnight and also visit the BBC's centres throughout the country. In addition to his duties as a member of the board of governors, the national governor for Wales is also ex-officio chairman of the BBC's Broadcasting Council for Wales whose functions and powers are laid down in articles 10 and 11 of the Royal Charter—Cmnd. 2385.

The present national governor for Wales was appointed on 20 October 1979 for the period until 31 July 1981, when the current charter expires. He receives a salary of £5,000 a year—plus expenses—which is calculated on the basis of work for the BBC of one and a half days a week.