Mairi McAllan: ‘BBC Scotland being hollowed out by cuts’

Mairi McAllan will ask MSPs to support plans for public service broadcasting in Scotland to be devolved to Holyrood later today.

This afternoon, the culture secretary will lead a Scottish Government debate on the BBC and public service broadcasting, following news that BBC Scotland will be moved online, replacing the linear TV station in spring next year.

The cuts, which include the discontinuation of Reporting Scotland’s News at Seven programme, are part of a plan by the BBC to save £500m. It is expected that 10 posts will be slashed, in addition to the 60 BBC Scotland job cuts announced earlier this year.

McAllan will make the argument to members to devolve public service broadcasting “while there is still anything left to devolve”. 

The Scottish Government has strongly condemned the cuts, which it says sits alongside a “chronic disparity in licence fee expenditure in Scotland compared to elsewhere in the UK”.

McAllan is expected to say: “Scotland needs a thriving national broadcaster which is supported to represent our country in all its wonderful diversity – but the reality is that BBC Scotland is being hollowed out by cuts and a funding system that does not work for Scotland.

“BBC journalists and staff are being consistently undermined by an agenda of cuts and closures.

“The loss of the linear BBC Scotland channel is a short-sighted decision which threatens not only to reduce to access to Scottish news, but also impact on jobs and investment in Scotland.

“Meanwhile, this summer an incredibly successful Commonwealth Games was held in Scotland’s biggest city – and it is a complete dereliction of duty that the BBC failed to secure the TV rights to broadcast it. The BBC did, however, find the money to secure rights for the European Athletics Championships that took place in Birmingham soon after – again, Scotland is being ill-served by the status quo.

“The most recently reported BBC expenditure in Scotland is equivalent to only 88.8 per cent of the licence fee income raised in Scotland, compared with 110.2 per cent in Wales and 99 per cent in Northern Ireland. The disparity in indigenous language broadcasting is similarly stark, with a funding gap of approximately £95m between Welsh and Gaelic language services, reflecting BBC and UK Government funding arrangements.

“It is time for broadcasting in Scotland to be devolved as soon as possible to a parliament that actually cares about it - because at this rate, before too long there will be nothing left to devolve.”