Speeches by Smith.

“Interesting. But it is part of the public good though, isn’t it?”

“Finally, and briefly, Jessica, do you think that the Government should take back responsibility for funding the World Service?”

“If we get to that situation, what protections would you put in place to ensure that it retains editorial independence?”

“In your written evidence, you said that there is a question as to whether the BBC could go further in spending outside London. Is that what you are referring to, or are there other things you would add to that?”

“15. What steps he is taking to improve relations with the EU.”

“Brexit has created a number of serious barriers to the ability of UK artists to tour in Europe. Has the Minister had a chance to look at the recently published Culture, Media and Sport Committee report on this issue, which proposes a number of practical measures to remove those barriers, and will he work with CMS Minis…”

“Following the agreement at the May 2025 summit to establish a UK-EU youth experience scheme, can the Minister update the House on the progress of negotiations on the scheme and confirm that it remains a Government priority?”

“I warmly welcome the publication of the Green Paper. None of us has all the answers when it comes to the fast-moving media landscape, but setting out the challenges and some principled ways forward is a good start. I especially welcome the focus on a duty for media literacy. My personal view is that a public purpose fo…”

“You are all clear that you support a public purpose for innovation in tech. Is it necessary, then, to have a separate and additional public purpose on driving growth?”

“I should mention, for the record, my role as chair of the all-party parliamentary group on the BBC. Good morning, Dino. I am going to ask about your experience. I want to get into thinking about the importance of the BBC to the independent podcast sector. Can you talk to us about your experience of getting the BBC to e…”

“That is really interesting. What can the Government do, as part of the charter process, to support podcasting in the ways that you have talked about?”

“That is really interesting. Obviously this is Dino’s specialist subject, but I just wondered whether Patrick or Nigel had any thoughts on BBC support for the podcast sector.”

“It has only been out for about five minutes.”

“David, I was very interested in what you said about bringing the broadcasters and the engineers and scientists together. In the early days of the BBC, there was probably a shared public interest, or a shared public interest ethos, that drove that. Do you think we still have that in the 2020s and 2030s?”

“That is an important point, but it would still cost some money. Do you have any idea how much?”

“It certainly sounds ambitious. Is it realistic for the BBC to resource it?”

“That’s interesting. Have you had any discussions with either the BBC or the Government about this, and if so, what have they said?”

“That is an important point, but it would still cost some money. Do you have any idea how much?”

“That’s interesting. Have you had any discussions with either the BBC or the Government about this, and if so, what have they said?”

“Thanks. Helen, don’t feel obliged, but I am going to give you the opportunity to say anything about this that you want to.”