Further written evidence submitted by the BBC

In response to Q46 regarding BBC commissioners, there are 54 people within the BBC TV network with commissioning responsibility across Factual, Entertainment, Drama, Comedy, Daytime and Children’s.  11 of these commissioners have responsibility for the BBC’s spend outside London, and, of those 11, 4 are designated for Scotland.  This represents around 7.5% of UK commissioners.  Those based in Scotland are Commissioning Editors for Factual, for Comedy, for Daytime and for Entertainment Commissioning, although the post-holder of the latter is currently in a promoted acting role as Acting Controller Entertainment Commissioning.  This list and percentage does not include those commissioning content in Scotland directly for BBC Scotland (as opposed to for the UK-wide network).  BBC Scotland commissioners are the Commissioning Editor, Television and also the Exec Producer & Commissioning Editor TV Sport; and for BBC ALBA, we have a commissioner working jointly with a commissioner at MG ALBA.  We have defined “based” as being the post-holder’s primary place of residence – where they have their mortgage and family – although as a UK-wide broadcaster, our senior decision-makers work around the UK as workload demands. 

In response to the additional request regarding what the BBC is doing on the promotion of Gaelic, the BBC operates the Gaelic TV channel BBC ALBA in partnership with MG ALBA and the showcasing of the Gaelic language and culture is implicit in all that we do.  The BBC also delivers the Gaelic language radio network, Radio nan Gaidheal, and the web offering bbc.co.uk/alba  which has a wide range of Gaelic resources and information in Gaelic for all ages and many interests.

Some of the main partnerships and collaborations that we are currently engaged with are centred around learning Gaelic and also on the arts:

• LearnGaelic.net – a partnership learning website with resources and funding from a range of agencies and organisations including Bòrd na Gàidhlig, Clì, Sabhal Mòr Ostaig, Board of Celtic Studies (Scottish Universities Celtic Departments)

• Creative Scotland – we attend and contribute to their Gaelic arts strategy forum and have worked together to co-fund documentary and drama projects – most recently the 18 part Gaelic drama Bannan, filmed on Skye

• The Gaelic Books Council – regular collaboration on a range of literary projects focussing recently on WW1 publications, creating the first ever anthology or Gaelic poetry on WW1

• An Comunn Gaidhealach – organisers of the Royal National Mod – we work with them to deliver broadcast coverage across all media of their event.

• Historical Societies around the Highlands and Islands – assisting in the preservation and dissemination of archival assets – again much activity over the past year has focussed on WW1
• We work with a range of music festivals and events: such as the Hebridean Celtic Music festival (Radio nan Gaidheal) and The Traditional Music Awards (BBC ALBA) ensuring that the Gaelic language has prominence within these events.

• Education – we work with other resource providers such as Storlann and have regular meetings and consultations with educational practitioners – our children’s strands Aileag and Dè a-nis? take us to schools and communities throughout the country on a weekly basis

November 2015