The chair of the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee at Westminster has indicated he would consider examining “questions of governance” at BBC NI sparked by controversies involving Stephen Nolan.
Sir Robert Buckland told The Irish News that “if there are continuing questions about governance, then obviously I’d be happy to look at them to see whether or not there are further questions that the BBC need to answer”.
His remarks come some five months after SDLP MPs Colum Eastwood and Claire Hanna wrote to the chairs of two Westminster committees, raising “serious matters” linked to revelations about Mr Nolan’s conduct.
In August, the 50-year-old presenter apologised on-air for sending a sexually explicit image to a work colleague.
Weeks later, DUP MP Gregory Campbell alleged that Mr Nolan, the BBC’s fifth-highest paid presenter, “corrupted” a recruitment process for a producer role on his radio show.
The East Derry representative claimed in the House of Commons the radio and TV host gave one candidate interview questions in advance.
Mr Campbell also said the employee in question would be willing to come before a committee to speak on the allegations.
In their letters to the then chair of the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee, Simon Hoare, and his Culture, Media and Sport Committee counterpart, the SDLP MPs voiced concerns about BBC NI’s “balance of editorial decisions”.
Sir Robert said he was aware of the letter sent to his predecessor and also of the “particular incident” that Mr Nolan apologised for and that had “given rise to governance concerns”.
He said he couldn’t comment “about the individual” and that it was not the committee’s role to probe individual cases.
”I think that we should expect the BBC and its broadcasters to offer the highest standards,” he said.
”If there are continuing questions about governance, then obviously I’d be happy to look at them to see whether or not there are further questions that the BBC need to answer.”
If there are continuing questions about governance, then obviously I’d be happy to look at them to see whether or not there are further questions that the BBC need to answer
— Sir Robert Buckland
An SDLP spokesperson said the party had raised a “number of serious issues” regarding BBC Northern Ireland with Westminster select committees, including “editorial decision making, governance concerns relating to independent production companies, and the organisational culture that has led to senior figures, particularly women, leaving”.
”Confidence in the BBC as an institution depends on it addressing many of these issues,” the spokesperson said.
”We will continue to press the organisation’s leadership and Westminster to intervene in the interests of local audiences.”
A BBC spokesperson said: “We’d be happy to chat with Sir Robert about the BBC’s work in Northern Ireland and to assure him about the rigour, independence and impartiality of our journalism. We are accountable for what we do and take pride in the contribution that BBC staff and services make to community life.”