End BBC self-regulation - MPs

MPs say holding the BBC to account is tricky

The BBC should be improve its accountability and stop regulating itself, according to a cross-party committee of MPs.

The Commons culture, media and sport select committee said the BBC's board of governors overlaps with the corporation's management and should be replaced by an independent regulatory body.

"We have argued more than once that the BBC's self-regulatory position is no longer sustainable and that the BBC should be regulated by a Communications Regulation Commission," the committee's report stated.

If BBC1 were to become ITV without the commercials and BBC2 were to become Channel 4 without the controversy, then this would affect the justification for the BBC as at present constituted and funded

Culture select committee

Reviewing the BBC's annual report, the MPs added: "We have found our efforts to hold the BBC to account through scrutiny of the annual report and accounts akin to trying to grasp an eel."

The committee also called for the establishment of the free-to-air minority sports channel.

It also criticised the way the BBC presented viewing figures for its News 24 channel, calling on the corporation to issue figures that made it clear how many viewers the rolling news service had from BBC1 and BBC2, and how many received it via cable or digital TV.

Holding to account

Describing present methods for holding the BBC to account as "incomplete and unsatisfactory", the MPs criticised Culture Secretary Chris Smith for declining to give the National Audit Office a role in inspecting the corporation's accounts.

The committee's report said: "In future it must be for the BBC's managers to manage the BBC and for an independent regulator to regulate the BBC."

On the subject of the board of governors, the MPs said "the views and roles of management and of the governors appear indistinguishable".

Developing sport

Fleshing out the MPs' vision for a new sports channel, the report said: "We consider that the potential for a free-to-air BBC sports channel - providing distinctive services of public benefit relating, for example, to sports training and development and to minority sports and women's sport which are currently neglected by broadcasters - should be further explored by the BBC and sympathetically considered by the secretary of state."

The report warned BBC1 and BBC2 against becoming too narrow in content. It criticised BBC director of television Mark Thompson's recent suggestion that the two channels could soon become more specialised.

The report said: "If BBC1 were to become ITV without the commercials and BBC2 were to become Channel 4 without the controversy, then this would affect the justification for the BBC as at present constituted and funded."

Tories back report

Responding to the report, a spokesman for Department of Culture, Media and Sport said Mr Smith had said it was not necessarily the role of the BBC to try to do things the commercial sector "could do better".

Mr Smith's comment has been taken to mean he did not back a free-to-air sports channel.

The spokesman added that the BBC would have to meet tough criteria in future before introducing any new services.

Conservative culture spokesman Peter Ainsworth said the committee's report was "very sensible and well-reasoned".

"I am particularly pleased that the committee takes the same view as the Conservative Party in identifying an urgent need for the BBC to become more accountable, and for its finances to be subjected to greater external scrutiny," he added.

"We believe in the BBC as a public service broadcaster. It is imperative that its public and commercial wings remain distinct, and that the BBC looks at ways of further reducing waste and improving efficiency.

"Above all, the BBC should be dedicated to producing high quality programmes."