BBC Trust statement on Digital Switchover Help Scheme

Date: 11.02.2008     Last updated: 23.09.2014 at 09.48
Category: Digital switchover
The BBC Trust and DCMS reached agreement in May 2007 on the BBC's role in relation to the Digital Switchover Help Scheme.

The BBC Trust issued a statement on 04 May 2007.

The BBC has today announced eaga plc as the preferred supplier for the national implementation of the scheme. The Help Scheme is projected to cost £603 million, of which about £500 million has been allocated to the estimated service supplier costs.

Under the BBC's Royal Charter the Trust has a duty to "exercise rigorous stewardship of public money". To this end the Trust has now set success criteria for the national scheme. They reflect ongoing assessments of the trial scheme in Copeland which have allowed the Trust to incorporate the lessons learnt there. The Trust intends that the success criteria should ensure the BBC delivers the national scheme in the most effective and economic way.

Detailed metrics will now be established for each of the success criteria. The criteria take into account the critical role the help scheme will play in ensuring the overall success of digital switchover. They will also be designed to ensure robust ongoing monitoring of the standards of service of the help scheme as well as the value being delivered by the contract over the whole period of digital switchover.

Throughout the scheme's operation the Trust will continue to monitor and assess its performance to ensure that licence fee payers' money is spent in the most cost effective way.

In addition the Trust will invite the NAO to review the value for money of the scheme under the Trust's future programme of value for money studies.

Notes to editors

As per the statement issued by the BBC Trust on 4 May 2007, in reaching the original agreement with DCMS the Trust satisfied itself that the following conditions were met:

  • the BBC's programmes and services to licence fee payers must not be put at financial risk, and
  • there would be a proper allocation of responsibilities between Government and the BBC, with the Government responsible for policy and the BBC for delivery of the scheme.

The Digital Switchover Help Scheme Project Board consists of 4 Directors from the BBC and 5 observers from DWP, DCMS, Digital UK, OGC and the BBC Trust.