BBC Public Purpose Remits: Public Consultation by the BBC Trust Response to consultation April 2007 UK Film Council 1. Introduction The UK Film Council is the Government-backed agency for film in the UK ensuring that the economic, cultural and educational aspects of British film are represented effectively at home and abroad. The UK Film Council’s role is to, “help make the UK a global hub for film in the digital age, with the world’s most imaginative, diverse and vibrant film culture, underpinned by a flourishing, competitive film industry.” The UK Film Council welcomes the BBC Trust’s invitation to comment on the Public Purpose Remits. As we said in our submissions to both the BBC Green and White Paper consultations we believe that there are clear links between the six public purposes identified for the Corporation and the broad objectives that the Government has identified for film policy. The relationship between the Government’s strategic objectives for film and the core public purposes of the BBC is a symbiotic one. Therefore in advancing the strategic objectives for film, the BBC would be directly fulfilling its main duties. We believe that the partnership between the UK Film Council and the BBC, which is underpinned by a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), provides the basis to ensure that the links between the purpose remits of the BBC and the public policy objectives for film can be developed in a way that maximises public value. In particular, the UK Film Council believes that the BBC’s commitment to significantly increase its investment in the production and acquisition of British films will deliver substantial benefits to the British film industry and British film culture and to cinema audiences and licence fee payers. The scope of the MOU is broader than production and acquisition however and covers activities including media literacy, training and skills development, diversity, the development of the Digital Screen Network, online showcasing of shorts, the First Light Movies initiative and the Creative Archive. The UK Film Council looks forward to working with the BBC across all these activities. BBC Public Purpose Remits 10.04.07 2. Consultation Questions Our answers to the specific questions posed in the consultation are as follows: 1. Do the priorities adequately reflect the requirements of the Charter and Agreement? Yes, with the qualifications noted at 2. below. Under Purpose Remit 3, we particularly welcome the reference to film as a genre under Priority (i) of “Establishing a leading reputation for creative and innovative programming,” especially in the context of the Memorandum of Understanding outlined above. We would note however that, as the MOU makes clear, the BBC’s responsibilities for film extend well beyond creative and innovative programming, important though that is. 2. Do the priorities need amending in any way? If so, how? (Please answer with reference to specific priorities). As members of the Media Literacy Task Force, alongside the BBC, the British Film Institute, Channel 4, ITV, Skillset and others, we are pleased to see the inclusion of a recognition of the importance of helping people to become “media-literate” under Purpose Remit 1 Sustaining Citizenship and Civil Society. We believe that by confining references to media literacy under Remit 1, the Trust does not capture the full breadth of Media Literacy as described in the Media Literacy Charter, to which the BBC is a signatory.1 We believe that the failure to mention media literacy under Purpose Remit 2 Promoting Education and Learning and under Purpose 3 Remit Stimulating Creativity and Cultural Excellence are serious omissions. In particular it fails to capture the dimension of media literacy which the Charter describes as using “media creatively to express and communicate ideas, information and opinions.” We would like to see this dimension of media literacy acknowledged under Purpose Remits 2 and 3. We would also like to see such a reference to the Charter under Purpose Remit 1 at the point at which media literacy is referenced. Purpose Remit 5. Bringing the UK to the world and the world to the UK. We believe that an addition should be made to the priorities under this Purpose Remit, reflecting the title of the Remit. The remit describes the need to Broaden UK audiences’ experience of and exposure to different cultures from around the world . There should be a symmetrical priority which describes the need to reflect the diversity of UK creativity and culture to audiences across the world. 1 http://www.ukfilmcouncil.org.uk/usr/ukfcdownloads/51/CHARTERTEXTFEB07.doc BBC Public Purpose Remits 10.04.07 3. Are there any important priorities that have been missed? See response to 2. above. 4. Do the Purpose Remits present the BBC with enough challenge in promoting the Public Purposes? If not, how might they be improved? (Please answer with reference to specific Remits and /or priorities). See response to 2. above. 5. In addition to the measures included in annex I to each Purpose Remit, are there any other performance measures are there any other performance measures which the Trust should use to monitor the Purpose Remits? We believe that the measurement of Priority (i) under Purpose Remit 2 should be amended from: The Trust will measure: “Audience perceptions of the BBC enabling them to learn different things while keeping them entertained” to “Audience perceptions of the BBC enabling them to learn different things while keeping them engaged” 6. How well do you think the BBC is currently delivering the Purpose Remit priorities? In particular: a) are there any priorities which the BBC could deliver better? If so, why? b) are there any priorities which you think are being delivered well? If so, why? 3. Summary We believe that the BBC-UKFC MOU provides an excellent framework for measuring and evaluating how well the Corporation is delivering its Purpose Remit priorities in respect of film. However, as the new Charter period has only just commenced it is as yet premature to answer this question. We look forward to the BBC fulfilling its commitments to increase significantly its investment in film, together with the fulfillment of the other objectives set out in the MOU. BBC Public Purpose Remits 10.04.07 What do you want the BBC Trust to keep confidential? Nothing P Whole response Part of it Which part? [please indicate] Name Carol Comley Position/job title Head of Strategic Development Organisation UK Film Council Address 10 Little Portland Street, London, W1W 7JG Other contact details (telephone, email) 020 7861 7861 carol.comley@ukfilmcouncil.org.uk The BBC Trust will retain and use your name, address, email address and organisation you work for (if applicable) for the purposes of administering the online public consultations held on this website. You will have the option of deciding whether you want your response and name displayed on this website (all other personal information will be withheld from display). Your personal details will not be passed to any third parties for marketing purposes. The BBC complies with the Data Protection Act 1998. For more information on BBC’s Privacy Policy please refer to http://www.bbc.co.uk/privacy/. The BBC is listed as a public body in Part VI of Schedule 1 to the Freedom of Information Act 2000; this means that, subject to certain restrictions, the BBC may be required to disclose information it holds to individuals and organisations making a valid request to be supplied with that information under the Act. If you have requested that all or part of your response should be kept confidential, the BBC will take reasonable steps to maintain confidentiality of that information if a request for its disclosure is received under the Act. Please note, however, that in the event the BBC is able to withhold information under the Act, this decision may be overturned by the Information Commissioner, the Information Tribunal or the courts. Please note that we may still refer to the contents of responses in general terms, without disclosing specific information that is confidential. We will exercise due regard to the confidentiality of information supplied. DECLARATION I confirm that the information I have submitted is a formal consultation response. It can be published in full on the BBC Trust website, unless otherwise specified, and I authorise the BBC Trust to make use of the information in this response to meet its legal requirements. If I have sent my response by email, the BBC can disregard any standard e-mail text about not disclosing email contents and attachments. Name Signed (if hard copy) ……………………………………………………………………………….. BBC Public Purpose Remits 10.04.07