Asked by
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the timetable for the
appointment of the Chair of Ofcom; and when they expect the
appointment to be confirmed.
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for
Digital, Culture, Media and Sport ( of Whitley Bay) (Con)
My Lords, the campaign to appoint a permanent chairman of Ofcom
will be launched imminently. The announcement will include the
timetable, details of the advisory assessment panel and the
selection criteria. It remains a priority for the Government to
find the best candidate for the role. It will be a fair and open
competition run in compliance with the Governance Code on Public
Appointments and regulated by the Commissioner for Public
Appointments.
(Lab)
My Lords, the wheels certainly seem to have come off the latest
attempt to instal Paul Dacre as Ofcom chair. Reports suggest that
the Government are struggling to identify credible individuals
with a record in business or public life even to form an
interview panel. If the appointment meets rules for public
appointments, does the Minister believe that it will be seen as
credible or help with the delivery of important things such as
the online harms agenda? What can he say to the House to reassure
the public that this and other public appointments will meet the
tests of fairness and impartiality?
of Whitley Bay (Con)
My Lords, of course the process will meet those tests. We want to
identify the best candidate for this important role. As I say,
the recruitment process will be launched imminently. Preparations
are under way to ensure that it is successful in providing
Ministers with a choice of high-quality candidates drawn from a
broad and diverse field and we encourage lots of people to apply
on that basis.
(Con)
My Lords, I declare my interests as set out in the register. Are
the Government considering the adequacy of Ofcom’s current budget
in light of the increasing number of critical functions that it
is being asked to regulate, not least, as has been mentioned, the
absolutely critical online safety arena?
of Whitley Bay (Con)
This is an important point that we have also discussed in the
context of the Telecommunications (Security) Bill, which has its
Third Reading in your Lordships’ House later today. The
Government have been working closely with Ofcom to prepare for
the new regulatory regime. This includes work to ensure that it
has the resources to carry out its functions as regulator
effectively and, vis-à-vis telecoms security, that includes
another £4.6 million this year.
(CB)
Will the Minister listen to the Conservative chair of the Culture
Select Committee in the other place, who demands that the
Government make clear in their new advert for the chair of Ofcom
that previously unsuccessful candidates such as Paul Dacre cannot
reapply?
of Whitley Bay (Con)
My Lords, the very clear rules about public appointments mean
that, in reopening the competition, everybody is allowed to
apply, including people who had applied for the first round. I
will not be drawn on specific people, but we want to ensure that
a diverse and high-quality range of candidates apply and are put
to Ministers to choose from.
(Lab)
My Lords, will the Minister confirm that whoever has the post
must demonstrate a total and absolute commitment to the highest
standards of public service broadcasting? Secondly, can he
comment on something that I have heard, which is that for some
time now Channel 4 has not been able to appoint full members of
the board because Ofcom has not been able to go through the
process? Could that be speeded up?
of Whitley Bay (Con)
I am not familiar with the noble Lord’s second point, but I will
certainly take it away and look into it as he asks. Yes, this is
an important role with responsibilities not just in broadcast but
across the communications framework, which is why we want a
high-quality range of candidates to apply for Ministers to choose
from.
(LD)
My Lords, I welcome the Minister to his role, this being my first
opportunity to do so, although he may not welcome my question. In
a recent speech, the noble Lord, , who will be much missed in
this Chamber, said that
“when the Prime Minister actively—and repeatedly—intervenes to
manipulate an ideological ally into the chairmanship of Ofcom,
every alarm bell should start to ring.”
Given that one of the most important functions of Ofcom is to
uphold the broadcasting impartiality regime, does the Minister
agree that it would be unacceptable for the new chair to be
someone with a long record of extreme political partisanship?
of Whitley Bay (Con)
I thank the noble Baroness for her welcome and join her in paying
tribute to the noble Lord, , whose views will, I am sure,
continue to be heard, even if not in your Lordships’ House. This
is an important role, which needs impartiality and the
appointment of which is governed by clear rules on public
appointments. The process has been run along those lines so far
and it will continue to be.
(Con)
My Lords, I congratulate the Government on the launch of their
great comedy drama “Ofcom Succession”. My understanding is that
the first process was stopped because the Government had failed
to appoint a headhunter to seek out the highest-quality
candidates to apply for this important role. Can my noble friend
tell me, first, has a headhunter been appointed? Secondly, if so,
who is it? Finally, can I have their phone number?
of Whitley Bay (Con)
I thank my noble friend for his question. Yes, following Cabinet
Office approval and a fair and open tender process, an executive
search firm has been appointed. It is Saxton Bampfylde and I am
sure that its contact details are available on its website.
(CB)
My Lords, can the Minister confirm that, in seeking the right
person for this role, the qualifications will include knowledge
of the radio spectrum and the universal mail service, and not
former experience as a newspaper editor?
of Whitley Bay (Con)
My Lords, the full criteria will be set out in the advert, which
will go out once the new campaign is being run. The noble
Baroness’s point about the range of areas in the sector that need
to be regulated is a pertinent one.
The Lord Speaker ()
Lord McNulty?
(LD)
It is McNally—the noble Lord and I have known each other for only
30 years. It has already been pointed out that Ofcom will shortly
be given unprecedented responsibilities for regulation, once the
Bill on internet harms has passed this House. Noble Lords have
already expressed widespread concern about how this appointment
is being made. The Minister mentioned that an appointments panel
is about to be appointed. Would it not restore public confidence
if that panel were genuinely cross-party and independent in its
judgments?
of Whitley Bay (Con)
My Lords, the appointments panel will of course be governed by
the public appointments rules. The job description and the names
of those on the assessment panel will be available on the public
appointments website when the campaign relaunches. The noble Lord
is right also to point to the importance of the ongoing
preparatory work for Ofcom’s role in online safety.
The Lord Speaker ()
Now that I have my glasses on, I offer my sincere apologies to my
friend, the noble Lord, . Now I am sure that it is the
noble Baroness, Lady Fox of Buckley.
(Non-Afl)
Will the Minister note that one specific issue that the new Ofcom
chair needs to urgently address is an egregious example of
compromised media impartiality due to the powerful lobby group
Stonewall, as revealed by the superb BBC Sounds 10-part podcast
series “Stephen Nolan Investigates” on the influence of
Stonewall’s gender identity on the output of the BBC, skewing
impartiality? Perhaps the Minister can comment on the content of
episode 9 revealing that Ofcom itself was using its judgments on
audience complaints as evidence to Stonewall, as though it was
judge and jury, to prove its LGBT credentials. That is not
comforting from a neutral regulator.
of Whitley Bay (Con)
I have not heard that episode but the example that the noble
Baroness points to underlines the importance of a free and fair
media that scrutinises everyone in power, whether that is those
in government or in lobby groups. It also reflects the importance
of the BBC broadcasting a range of views in fulfilling that
important role.
