Plaid MP reports UK minister Jeremy Hunt over S4C cuts

Jonathan Edwards MP says the Culture Secretary must 'at least apologise'

The UK Culture secretary Jeremy Hunt faces being reported to parliamentary authorities amid opponents' claims over planned budget cuts at S4C.

Plaid Cymru MP Jonathan Edwards says he is writing to officials accusing the minister of misleading MPs by stating a £2m cut had been "mutually agreed".

Documents show that S4C's chairman refused to accept the cuts because he thought they were unlawful.

Mr Hunt's department have continued to insist the cut "was agreed by both".

The UK minister made the comments in an answer to a question to the Plaid MP in June.

But documents released under a freedom of information (FOI) request show that S4C chairman John Walter Jones wrote to Mr Hunt on 21 May this year stating that on the basis of legal advice, it could not legally agree to Mr Hunt's proposals to cut its budget by £2m in this financial year.

"The reality now is that the secretary of state must at least apologise," insisted Jonathan Edwards.

He described Mr Hunt's statement on the proposed cuts to S4C's budget as "misleading at best".

However, information released in the FOI request also indicate that S4C's then chief executive, Iona Jones, was also negotiating with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) in the same period.

The notes appear to show that she did agree the £2m cut with a top official within DCMS, at around the same time that her chairman was refusing.

The split between Ms Jones and the authority erupted into the open when Ms Jones left her job suddenly in July. It is not known whether the apparent differences over the £2m cut between her and Mr Jones was the cause of the departure.

Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt told Parliament the cut in S4C's budget was mutually agreed

'Out of step'

But speaking on Wednesday, the Carmarthen East and Dinefwr MP, Mr Edwards said he would press ahead with his complaint against the UK minister.

"It is a very serious matter for a minister and his department to be factually wrong when responding to MPs, to be briefing the media incorrectly and to be so far out of step with public opinion in Wales on the issue," he said.

"They must accept immediately that they are totally wrong and have compromised their department's neutrality on this issue."

The MP's intervention follows concerns raised earlier by the assembly's First Minister, Carwyn Jones.

"On the face of it, it appears that what was said to parliament by the appropriate minister may have been wrong, now clearly that needs to be clarified," said Mr Jones on Tuesday.

However, responding to those comments, the DCMS again stated: "This announcement was made following discussions between DCMS and S4C and the reduction was agreed by both parties."

In statement from S4C on the issue, the broadcaster reiterated that it had not volunteered a cut to its grant budget.

"S4C has not made a repayment to DCMS. The duties and responsibilities of the S4C Authority are placed upon it by statute and these duties place strict requirements upon the authority to safeguard its public funding.

"We have no further comment."