Speeches by Whittingdale.

“I think that we have sympathy with your frustration at the difficulty of planning in the long term with the uncertainty around your funding, but why do you think that transferring funding responsibility from the licence fee payer to the Government is going to give you any more certainty? Surely at the moment it is like…”

“You have said that it is a matter of principle, not just quantum, and it is a principle I have some sympathy with. Given the pressures on Government expenditure, you are asking for the Foreign Office budget to take on a huge additional cost. Have you had any reason to think that the Government might be sympathetic to t…”

“Impartiality is as important for the World Service as it is for the BBC. I do not underestimate the difficulty you face in reporting on very complex and controversial situations such as the situation with Israel-Gaza. You will be aware that there have been a huge number of complaints about the coverage by BBC Arabic, w…”

“In 2015, the Government partially reversed the decision taken in 2010, when the Foreign Office gave an additional top-up to the licence fee funding, with the specific suggestion that it should be used to broadcast language services in particular areas of the world where it was felt that we needed to do more. You have n…”

“Had the BBC said to you that, unless they had that top-up, they would not?”

“Your request to them that they maintain 42 language services and the crisis provision is a fairly basic one. Do you see it as appropriate and possible that the Foreign Office may come back in due course and say, “We would like you to devote a bit more to this part of the world because we see that that is where the need…”

“How often do you have conversations with the World Service?”

“Your request to them that they maintain 42 language services and the crisis provision is a fairly basic one. Do you see it as appropriate and possible that the Foreign Office may come back in due course and say, “We would like you to devote a bit more to this part of the world because we see that that is where the need…”

“Had the BBC said to you that, unless they had that top-up, they would not?”

“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Stringer. I am, in general, a supporter of local TV. That used to be somewhat more controversial that it is today. Local TV was invented by my right hon. Friend the Member for Godalming and Ash (Jeremy Hunt) when he was the Secretary of State. His mantra at the time…”

“In 2015, the Government partially reversed the decision taken in 2010, when the Foreign Office gave an additional top-up to the licence fee funding, with the specific suggestion that it should be used to broadcast language services in particular areas of the world where it was felt that we needed to do more. You have n…”

“Impartiality is as important for the World Service as it is for the BBC. I do not underestimate the difficulty you face in reporting on very complex and controversial situations such as the situation with Israel-Gaza. You will be aware that there have been a huge number of complaints about the coverage by BBC Arabic, w…”

“You have said that it is a matter of principle, not just quantum, and it is a principle I have some sympathy with. Given the pressures on Government expenditure, you are asking for the Foreign Office budget to take on a huge additional cost. Have you had any reason to think that the Government might be sympathetic to t…”

“I think that we have sympathy with your frustration at the difficulty of planning in the long term with the uncertainty around your funding, but why do you think that transferring funding responsibility from the licence fee payer to the Government is going to give you any more certainty? Surely at the moment it is like…”

“7. What steps he is taking to support the hospitality sector.”

“UKHospitality has estimated that the Budget measures will increase the cost of employing one employee by £2,500. Shops, pubs and restaurants across my constituency have said that that will lead to higher prices or fewer jobs. Will the Minister at least consider delaying the implementation of the national insurance cont…”

“The Minister intends to impose thousands more houses on my constituency, when there are already not enough school places, not enough doctors and congested roads. Will he at least look at ways in which financial arrangements can be established that would mean that developers can be made to fund necessary infrastructure …”

“We will, I am sure, ask it to representatives of Israel, but can I ask you as a representative of the Palestinian Authority?”

“We have seen that some of the families in Israel have indicated their unhappiness that perhaps the Israeli Government are not giving release of the hostages the priority they should be. I just wondered what your view is of what the Israeli Government are doing and whether they should be doing more.”

“Colonel, you set out the six priorities, one of which was security and another leadership. You have also set out why Israel probably has less confidence in security with the existing leadership in the Palestinian side following the events of 7 October. Mr Kattan has expressed a view about the hardline leadership in Isr…”