Tracy Meharg

Permanent Secretary for Communities

Northern Ireland Executive

14 January 2019

Dear Ms Meharg,

National Broadcast Archive of Wales

As you may be aware, the National Broadcast Archive of Wales is a proposed £9 million project being developed by the National Library of Wales. It would see the physical programme archive of BBC Cymru Wales transferred to the library, along with the institutional archive and digitised copies of the programme archive.

Our Committee recently held a session with the Welsh Government in response to concerns raised over the proposed establishment of the archive. Specifically, the concerns relate to how the archive will be revenue funded after 2024.

During that session the Deputy Minister for Culture, Tourism and Sport explained that he is dissatisfied with the amount of annual revenue funding offered by the BBC to support the archive post 2024.

As such, we would appreciate any information you are able to share with the us in relation to any comparable archive being set up in Northern Ireland. In particular, we are interested in:

· Whether there are currently any plans to establish a Northern Irish national broadcast archive; and if so,

· Any details you are able to share as to how the archive will be funded – both in relation to its establishment and the ongoing revenue funding of the archive once established. We are particularly interested in the amount of funding the BBC may have agreed to provide.

Any information you are able to share would be greatly appreciated. I look forward to receiving your response.

Yours sincerely,

Bethan Sayed

Chair