Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the letter of 20 October by Lord Ashton of Hyde concerning the draft BBC Charter and Agreement which has been placed in the Library of the House, whether they intend to ensure that the BBC is able to operate independently from Ministers and other public authorities in the UK.

The draft Charter and Agreement​ strengthen the independence of the BBC by giving it a powerful new unitary board, with the BBC able to appoint the majority of board members for the first time​, one of the longest charter periods in history, fewer protected areas of funding to increase the freedom the BBC has to use its money as it sees fit, and a new system of regular 5 yearly licence fee settlements.