S4C bullying claims: UK government 'should intervene'

Sian Doyle was sacked after a review into procedures at S4C

The UK government should intervene in allegations of bullying at Welsh language broadcaster S4C, a Welsh minister says.

A report into the allegations was told sacked chief executive Sian Doyle "behaved like a dictator".

Staff at the troubled broadcaster also spoke of "a culture of fear" there.

However, the Secretary of State for Wales said it would be an "unprecedented" move for the UK government to get involved.

Dawn Bowden, Deputy Minister for Arts, Media and Tourism, told Politics Wales she had written to the UK Government Department for Culture Media and Sport (DCMS) asking what the next steps should be.

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Broadcasting in Wales is the responsibility of the UK government, and therefore S4C is answerable to the DCMS, not the Welsh government.

Ms Bowden said, "I have written to the Secretary of State for DCMS and asked her to let me know what what she considers the next steps to be.

"Although S4C is not a devolved responsibility, we have a very close working relationship with them and they are very important to Wales.

"So I want to make sure that S4C is a successful Welsh organisation," she added.

David TC Davies said such a move would be "unprecedented"

Ms Bowden also said that she didn't believe that the BBC should take over the running of S4C.

"That is not something we should be running towards in my view, but again that is a matter for the DCMS," she said.

The Secretary of State for Wales, David TC Davies, said: "It would be quite unprecedented for UK government ministers to become involved in adjudicating in human resources complaints that have taken place within a media organisation. Albeit one that's regulated by the government. "Obviously DCMS are well aware of this, as am I, and will have seen the reports - as I've seen and heard all sorts of things, but ultimately we would not normally directly be involved in an adjudicating nature."

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