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Written question asked by Scott Arthur (Labour) on Wednesday, 4 March 2026, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 9 March 2026. It was answered by Ian Murray (Labour) on Monday, 9 March 2026 on behalf of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

Public Service Broadcasting: Finance

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the level of the funding gap between the BBC, ALBA and S4C; and whether she plans to take steps to address disparities in long-term funding security between Gaelic and Welsh language broadcasting.

Answer

The Government recognises the valuable contribution that providers of minority language broadcasting have in our society and the preservation of our national heritage.

The Media Act 2024 makes clear in legislation the importance of programmes broadcast in the UK’s indigenous and minority languages - including Scottish Gaelic - by including it in the modernised public service remit for television in the UK.

The Public Service Broadcasters, as well as MG ALBA, are operationally and editorially independent from Government, and specific decisions regarding content are a matter for them. MG ALBA committed in its 2024/25 annual plan to explicitly consider international reach and opportunities.

The Government launched the BBC Charter Review last year, which will consider how the BBC can best support minority language broadcasting, including Welsh and Scottish Gaelic. The Green paper also sets out that we are considering what further obligations the BBC should have to ensure a broad range of public service content is promoted within the BBC’s own platforms.

On funding, we will consider options for providing MG ALBA with more certainty over its partnership arrangements with the BBC and its funding as part of the Charter Review.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
118030
Session
2024-26
Grouped for answer
Yes
Subjects
BBC Finance Public service broadcasting Scots Gaelic language Welsh language S4C BBC Alba
Contains statistics
Yes
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk