It's time to devolve broadcasting

Plaid Cymru will today (Tuesday, August 8th) launch a petition calling for the devolution of broadcasting powers from Westminster to the National Assembly.

The party’s Culture Spokesperson, Dai Lloyd AM, will deliver a keynote speech and launch the petition at the Plaid Cymru stall on the Eisteddfod Maes at midday.

Speaking ahead of the launch, Dai Lloyd stated:

“Virtually all of the main political decisions affecting broadcasting in Wales are made in London by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DDCMS).

“The Assembly’s Culture, Welsh Language and Communications Committee has recently published its Big Picture report, which sets out significant challenges facing the broadcasting sector in Wales.

“Evidence shows time and time again that Wales is nothing more than an afterthought for the UK Government, and the major broadcasters.

“It simply makes no sense that decisions in on broadcasting are taken in London while competence over other interrelated policy areas, such as culture and the creative industries, rests in Wales. These areas are clearly inter-related, and Government policy should reflect that interdependence.

“The current settlement does not serve Wales well. There are very many people in Wales who have concerns about the future of S4C, the lack of plurality in Welsh media and the absence of Welsh representation on the national networks, however we see very little action from the UK Government in these areas.

“As an example, in 2016 the BBC Director General Lord Hall stated that ‘the funding for English language content made in Wales for a Welsh audience has dropped to unsustainable levels’. The response is an unsatisfactory budget increase of £8.5m which led the National Union of Journalists to acknowledge that ‘Wales is being treated disgracefully’.

“You cannot help but feel that the UK Government and broadcasters are of the view that they have bigger fish to fry. With this level of disinterest in London, devolution to Wales is the only answer.

“Surely, it would be far better for Assembly Members and Welsh Ministers to address these Wales-specific issues. The National Assembly is in a much better position, and in most cases much better informed, to address these challenges.

“The broadcasting sector needs to reflect the realities of a post-devolution U.K. The reality is that the democratic health of the smaller nations of the UK depends on a properly functioning and resourced public broadcasting system. In this sense, the current settlement is failing Wales.

“As well as needing improvements to the level of Wales-specific news coverage, and of Wales-based programming generally, the importance of the broadcasting media and S4C within the overall approach to safeguarding the language cannot be underestimated.

“A number of organisation, including the Institute of Welsh Affairs have previously called for the devolution of broadcasting and a recent YouGov poll in May 2017 found that the majority of the Welsh population also support the move.

“The current system which gives so little attention to Welsh matters and doesn’t reflect Welsh life cannot continue.

“In other devolved nations like the Basque Country and Catalonia, broadcasting is devolved, and their media is in a much healthier position as a result – with several TV and radio stations. The Welsh Government could also take over powers, relating not only to national broadcasters, but also in terms of local radio and tv stations are devolved.

“The Welsh Government reluctance to show support for the devolution of broadcasting has often been based on apprehensions about the difficulties of devolving certain aspects of broadcasting in isolation from others, and uncertainties about any ensuing funding arrangements, but these are issues that can be overcome. We have examples of international models which work well. This just needs political will, which has been sadly lacking at both Welsh Government and UK Government level up until now.

“The Welsh Government needs to step up to the plate, demand the powers to tackle these issues and demand them now.”