Committee raises concerns over BBC’s coverage of the Scottish Parliament

Concerns have been raised over the depth of the BBC’s coverage of the Scottish Parliament.  

In a letter to the BBC’s director general Tim Davie, the convener of the Constitution, Europe, External Affairs and Culture Committee, Clare Adamson asked for a written response regarding “lack of coverage” of the parliament’s committees. 

The point was initially raised to Davie and his colleagues when he appeared in front of the committee in January.  

The committee also raised concerns that there is not “regular live coverage” of the parliament’s proceeding on BBC Scotland.  

Hayley Valentine, director of BBC Scotland, told the committee last month that the BBC does “a lot” of politics coverage and praised the BBC Scotland staff at the Scottish Parliament. 

Adamson has asked for a more detailed written response to the committee’s concerns: “We discussed with you and your colleagues our concerns around the depth of the coverage of the parliament’s proceedings. This included our concerns around the lack of coverage of the important work of the parliament’s committees. We also asked why there is no regular coverage of the parliament’s proceeding on BBC Scotland.  

“The committee would welcome a more detailed written response to our concerns around the depth of coverage of the parliament’s proceedings on BBC Scotland and how this might be addressed.” 

The committee is also seeking clarification on how the £114m of network spend is used in Scotland. The committee was told that “the majority” of the money is spent in Scotland “but some of it is spent outside it”.  

It also raised concerns with Davie and his colleagues about London-based production companies having a nominal base in Scotland and being counted in the BBC’s Scottish production quotas.  

The committee focused on recent news that the popular programme The Traitors had been considered in the quota, while analysis by filmmaker Peter Strachan suggested despite the reality show being hosted in a Scottish castle, many of the production team are based in London.  

That quota is determined by Ofcom, and the committee says it intends to discuss this further with the media regulator next month.  

The committee is also seeking updates regarding BBC Scotland's coverage of Scotland's international football matches, and whether it will broadcast the matches live.