SCOTLAND was last night promised a strong voice in the future of British broadcasting after Whitehall caved in to demands by Jack McConnell, the First Minister.
The new media regulator, Ofcom, will be ordered to open an office north of the Border and its London-based board must take advice from a committee of Scottish media experts.
Tessa Jowell, the Culture Secretary, sanctioned the concessions after ca
lling urgent meetings across Whitehall yesterday in the wake of revelations in The Scotsman that she planned to deny Scotland a seat on Ofcom.
Critics of Ms Jowell said her decision to consign Scottish interests to two Ofcom subsidiaries could throw the future of quality regional broadcasting in Scotland into jeopardy.
The new super-regulator will swallow up the powers of five existing media bodies to control the future of the industry, including decisions on sensitive mergers and take-overs of small broadcasting companies, such as Border and Grampian.
Ms Jowell’s initial position had infuriated Mr McConnell, who was angered further after the Culture Secretary ignored a stinging letter from him urging her to re-think her plans.
However, despite the significant U-turn by Ms Jowell, it appeared last night it had not been enough to end the simmering row between Holyrood and Westminster.
The row took on a new dimension after aides to Helen Liddell, the Scottish Secretary, released an independent statement welcoming the moves.
It said that Mrs Liddell and Mr McConnell were "satisfied that provisions in the draft [communications] bill will ensure that Ofcom has the capacity to take full account of Scottish interests".
A spokesman for the First Minister said that he was sticking to his original demands and would only review them when he received a response from the Department of Culture, Media and Sport [DCMS].
The Scottish National Party pounced on the continuing chaos surrounding the future of Ofcom and accused UK government ministers of buying-off concerns about the future of Scottish broadcasting with "shabby window dressing".
Mike Russell, the SNP broadcasting spokesman, said: "I welcome the news that Ofcom will have an office in Scotland, but the rest of what is on offer is simply an attempt to avoid the issues.
"It is nothing more than a way of trying to placate Scottish opinion without satisfying the objections.
"It really is rather shabby window dressing."
Mr Russell said the confusion and disagreement over Ofcom was further proof that broadcasting should be devolved to the Scottish parliament. He added: "This farce is not only an embarrassment for Jack McConnell, it is a deliberate put-down to the Scottish parliament."
A spokesman for Mrs Liddell last night portrayed the concessions granted by the Department of Culture, Media and Sport as a "good deal for Scotland".
And he hinted that Ms Jowell would be prepared to go further to meet Scottish demands, adding: "There is scope for more fine tuning".
The spokesman said that, under the agreed changes, Scotland would be granted a place on Ofcom’s consumer sub-committee "by right".
He said that its sub-committee with powers to control television, radio and advertising content would have to consult with the Scottish Secretary and the Scottish Executive. "It was felt for cultural reasons that this was right," he added.
The six-strong board of Ofcom will also have to take consideration of audience monitoring and research in Scotland before finalising decisions that have implications north of the Border.
The spokesman said: "The final thing which Mrs Liddell has managed to pin down is the requirement for Ofcom not just to maintain an office in Scotland, but for all its regulatory functions to be established there."
And he added: "The Secretary of State and the First Minister have made strong representations to the DCMS about Scottish representation on Ofcom.
"The Scotland Office has worked closely with the DCMS, the Department of Trade and Industry and the Scottish Executive on Scotland’s interests in the communications bill and there are a number of safeguards that boost Scotland’s position.
"We are satisfied that provisions now in the draft bill will ensure that Ofcom has the capacity to take full account of Scottish issues.
"The Secretary of State and First Minister have fought hard to make sure Scotland is well represented and our position on Ofcom is strong."
The Liberal Democrats said last night they were not surprised that Mr McConnell had struggled to get a response from Ms Jowell about his concerns.
John Thurso, a member of the Commons cross-party culture committee, said: "It is no surprise to me that the First Minister has had no response from Tessa Jowell.
"As a member of the select committee that oversees the work of her department, it is clear to me that the DCMS is wholly dysfunctional and spends all of its energy dealing with the string of cock-ups it has created in London."
The SNP yesterday called for a debate on Ofcom in the Scottish parliament.
The full article contains 851 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
