EDM 295: Reductions in jobs and services at the BBC

That this House greatly regrets the announcement of further new cuts to news and current affairs programming, resulting in a net loss of 130 employed posts; notes that, whilst the World Service itself is a valuable international service which needs secured funding, using it to replace domestic UK BBC radio listeners' overnight news risks displacing important domestic news from the cycle for minimal savings; further notes the loss of night shifts in the London newsroom, again impacting domestic news coverage; fears the impact of the BBC’s decision to cut frontline journalistic posts at a time when impartial news and information from our trusted public service broadcaster is vital; recognises that harm arising from these proposals will see a reduction in relevant, creative and accessible content offering audiences choice; further regrets the plan to axe the popular Hard Talk news interview slot; supports the calls from the National Union of Journalists that are urging the Government to commit to restore the direct financing of the vital work of the BBC World Service through the Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office budget; and calls on the Government to further ensure that future BBC licence fee settlements provide sufficient revenues to maintain high quality services without frequent rounds of cuts.