BBC World Service (Hansard, 15 October 1996)

§ Mr. Rifkind

The chairman of the BBC and I met on 14 October to consider the report of the joint FCO/BBC World Service working group. We have accepted its conclusions.

I am encouraged that the working group has agreed a series of 20 new proposals designed to ensure the continued protection of World Service interests and the maintenance of the special character, style, ethos and quality of World Service broadcasts.

The working group will reconvene in the autumn of 1997 to review the effects of the World Service of the implementation of the BBC's restructuring proposals to ensure that the new measures agreed by the working group are functioning satisfactorily and producing the desired results.

The Government remain committed to the success of the World Service, to the maintenance of the high quality of its output, and to its continued pre-eminence among international broadcasters.

I have placed copies of the full report of the working group in the Libraries of both Houses.

A summary of the measures agreed by the working group is as follows: SUMMARY OF MEASURES AGREED In the course of its discussions the working group considered a number of measures designed to ensure the continued protection of World Service interests under the restructuring proposals put forward by the BBC. The following are the principal measures agreed with respect to financial and economic issues, the maintenance of the quality of World Service news and other programmes including management issues, and the FCO/World Service relationship. Financial and economic

(i) BBC to draw up new guidelines to govern the trading relationship between World Service and BBC supplier departments. These will be subject to periodic internal review, independent external monitoring and an effective financial penalty clause. Guidelines to be approved by NAO.
(ii) Financial mechanisms to be developed to ensure proper allocation of the cost of overseas correspondents.
(iii) The FCO/BBC financial memorandum to be redrafted to incorporate new financial mechanisms.
(iv) The BBC's fair trading guidelines to be revised to incorporate the commitment that FCO grant in aid funds cannot he used for non-World Service purposes.
(v) NAO to examine the functioning of the new financial mechanisms after six months of operation.
(vi) Arrangement for appointing the Accounting Officer of the World Service to be re-examined in separate discussions between FCO and BBC.
(vii) Proposals for alternative methods of managing World Service Capital Assets to be examined in separate discussions between FCO and the BBC.
(viii) BBC proposals on future savings to be considered further when all necessary information is available.

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(ix) World Service news and real-time current affairs programmes to be produced by a dedicated unit within BBC News co-located with the World Service including the vernacular services. Dedicated team members to be appointed for a period of time agreed with World Service.
(x) World Service to specify additional competencies and training for staff working on the supply of such programmes and services.
(xi) World Service programme commissioners to have full editorial responsibility rooted in the power to specify the agenda, range and breadth of news programmes and services as well as their style, content and distinctive voice. There would also be provision for an internal review process with, in cases of disagreement, referral to senior management up to the director general. The board of governors to be made aware of any such referrals. This internal review process to feed into the BBC's annual performance review by the Director General to the Chairman and Board of Governors.
(xii) World Service to be represented on all senior appointment boards of significance to the provision of World Service output. All appointments concerned to be jointly agreed. World Service to approve individual presenters for all key programmes.
(xiii) World Service to have the right within the specification agreed between World Service and BBC News to require programming to cover particular events or to respond to breaking news.

Newsgathering (xiv) World Service to have power to require that strategic deployment of newsgathering resources including geographical spread is appropriate to range and breadth of World Service needs. Correspondents' assignment briefs to spell out their responsibilities to World Service. Co-location (xv) Co-location between the team producing World Service news and current affairs programmes and the vernacular services to be given top priority. Any period of separation to be kept to a minimum and entered upon only if and when the World Service has agreed that the advantages significantly outweighed the disadvantages. General programmes

(xvi) BBC to ensure that staff of BBC Production are fully briefed and trained on special requirements of World Service and that there are regular interchanges of staff.
(xvii) Programme commissioners to have extensive powers to specify target audience, strategic objectives, style and content of programmes as well as wide freedom to commission as they see fit from within and outside BBC.

Management

(xviii) Managing Director World Service to attend meetings of BBC executive committee whenever World Service issues are to be discussed. World Service to be represented on BBC executive committee by the deputy director general.
(xix) BBC to strengthen oversight of World Service by BBC board of governors, including the establishment of new procedures to approve strategy and review performance and to ensure that any disagreements between World Service commissioners and BBC production are made known to the governors. An independent advisory panel to be established under the chairmanship of a BBC governor to advise the governors on World Service output and performance.

FCO/World Service relationship (xx) The World Service's relationship with the FCO to remain unaffected by the restructuring.

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