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The PVA is one part of the Public Value Test (PVT) that the ´óÏó´«Ã½ Trust is conducting into the joint ´óÏó´«Ã½/GMS proposals for a Gaelic Digital Service. The Market Impact Assessment (MIA), carried out by Ofcom and also published today, forms another part.

The Trust will consider the PVA and the MIA before reaching its provisional conclusions on the proposals at its meeting on 14 November. These will be published on 21st November and be subject to public consultation before the Trust reaches its final decision in January.

The Public Value Assessment concludes that the proposals could deliver public value. However, on the evidence currently available, the PVA suggests that the potential public value would not be sufficient to justify the level of investment proposed and recommends the Trust requests further evidence and information from the ´óÏó´«Ã½ Executive before the end of the 28-day public consultation period.

Christopher Woolard, Head of Finance, Economics and Strategy for the ´óÏó´«Ã½ Trust, who led the Public Value Assessment of the proposed new Gaelic Digital Service, said:

"The evidence suggests the service would be of good quality and provide an enhanced service to existing Gaelic speakers, therefore contributing to the ´óÏó´«Ã½'s public purposes. However, the PVA concludes that to justify the level of investment proposed the Trust requires more evidence from the ´óÏó´«Ã½ Executive that the service would offer wider value to the audience in Scotland. For example, could the service do more to attract new speakers to the Gaelic language?"

Speaking on behalf of the ´óÏó´«Ã½ Trust in advance of it reaching its provisional conclusions, National Trustee for Scotland and Public Value Test Steering Group member, Jeremy Peat said:

"One of the ´óÏó´«Ã½'s purposes is to represent the UK, its nations, regions and communities and, in meeting this purpose, the Charter calls on the Trust to have regard, amongst other things, to the importance of appropriate provision in minority languages. To reach an informed judgement in the interests of all licence fee payers about whether to approve this service, the Trust must consider the independent evaluations of both the potential value to the public and the possible impact on the market. The Trust will then publish its Provisional Conclusions on 21st November. The Trust will seek an outcome which offers maximum value to the public who own and pay for the ´óÏó´«Ã½ and we will welcome the public's response before we reach final decisions in January."

The ´óÏó´«Ã½ Executive and GMS proposals

The ´óÏó´«Ã½ Executive has applied to the Trust to launch a new tri-media Gaelic service in partnership with GMS. The service would consist of:

• A dedicated digital TV channel in Gaelic, broadcasting for up to seven hours a day.
• ´óÏó´«Ã½ Radio nan Gaidheal
• Significantly enhanced Gaelic content for users of bbc.co.uk

The service would be mixed-genre – including the daily news and weather in Gaelic. The television service would be available on satellite and broadband from launch and on digital cable later in 2008. Distribution on digital terrestrial television (Freeview) would be available in Scotland only after digital switchover, on a transmitter by transmitter basis, when existing provision of Gaelic on ´óÏó´«Ã½ Two would be withdrawn. Switchover in the most populated areas of Scotland would take place in 2010.

PVA conclusions

• The evidence suggests the service could be of good quality and provide an enhanced service to existing Gaelic speakers, therefore contributing to the ´óÏó´«Ã½'s public purposes.
• However, the ´óÏó´«Ã½ is already providing significant public value for the Gaelic speaking community with its existing services on radio, the internet and TV. The increased expenditure could not be justified if all the service achieves is better coverage for the existing audience.
• If the service is able to target and retain both existing speakers and recruit new speakers and learners, it would appear to justify the increased expenditure.
• Further information is required about the service's strategy to promote education and learning to a wider audience with the aim of contributing to the long term survival of the Gaelic language in Scotland.

If the Executive's response is sufficient to meet the requirements of the Trust, the PVA suggests some conditions for consideration before a Service Licence can be issued and these are included in the document published today.

Ends

Notes to editors

Timetable

21 Nov 2007 Publication of Trust's provisional conclusions on the proposed Gaelic Digital Service. Consultation on the Trust's provisional conclusions opens.

19 Dec 2007 Consultation on the Trust's provisional conclusions closes.

28 Jan 2008 Latest date for publication of the Trust's final decision on the proposed Gaelic Digital Service.

Further details of the proposals for a Gaelic Digital Service can be found on our Public Value Test pages.

The ´óÏó´«Ã½ Trust Unit is the independent unit that supports and assists the ´óÏó´«Ã½ Trust.