Question

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the reported 85 per cent reduction in religious broadcasting at peak times across public service media between 2011 and 2022; and what plans they have, if any, to reverse it.

The Government recognises that there has been a fall in religious programming being broadcast. We understand the important role religion plays in the lives of many people in the UK and would expect religious programming to continue to form an important part of the content produced by public service broadcasters (PSBs).

The Media Act 2024 has modernised the public service broadcasting system, including their remit and quotas system which enables our PSBs to continue delivering for all audiences.

The Act also gives Ofcom the powers, including a clear statutory monitoring role, to ensure that PSBs continue to produce a range of genres such as religious programming. If Ofcom believes that a certain genre of programming is being underserved they can recommend that the DCMS Secretary of State introduce a new quota.