BBC Trust

"It was for these reasons that new governance arrangements were introduced in the new 10-year BBC Charter and Agreement which came into effect on January 1 this year following an extensive Charter review process.

"The new Charter makes it clear that the BBC Trust is the sovereign body within the BBC. With his fellow Trust members, the Chairman of the Trust works on behalf of licence fee payers to ensure the BBC remains independent, provides quality programmes and services and offers value for money. The Charter indicates that the Chairman of the Trust may be known as Chairman of the BBC.

"The Charter also defines the distinct responsibilities of the Trust and the Executive Board. At a strategic level, the Trust sets the editorial framework within which the BBC must operate, while management is responsible for day-to-day operations, including compliance with the Editorial Guidelines.

"Since its launch on January 1 this year, the Trust has undertaken major strands of work on the BBC's purpose remits and service licences and on new services such as the BBC iPlayer. It has approved the launch of "Freesat" and begun a public value test into the BBC's proposed high definition television service.

"Following editorial failings, the Trust has required management to carry out a programme of immediate action to ensure that editorial standards are upheld by all BBC content producers so that public trust in the BBC can be assured.

"The handling of appointments and the terms and conditions of the BBC Chairman and other Trustees are matters for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. Since the launch of the BBC Trust, all Trustees have signed a non-compete clause. We shall consider the Committee's recommendation in this area with care."

Ends

Notes to editors

The BBC Charter and Agreement is available on the BBC Trust web site at Charter and Agreement

The BBC Trust Code of Practice which includes the non-compete clause is available at Code of Practice