Tony Hall, New BBC Director General, Says Jimmy Savile Lessons Have Been Learned

Jimmy Savile Lessons 'Have Been Learnt'

The lessons from the Jimmy Savile affair are being learnt by the BBC, the new director general said today.

Tony Hall said all of the recommendations of the Pollard Review were being implemented and he expected recommendations from two further reviews to be carried out too.

And speaking on the BBC Radio 4 Today programme, the new director general defended the decisions taken to move some figures involved to new positions in the organisation.

The Savile affair is one of the largest scandals the BBC has ever faced

Lord Hall said: "The BBC has been through a rough time... it's been even rougher for those affected by Savile too, and others.

"The Pollard review has been carried out and the recommendations of the Pollard review are now being implemented. We have two more reviews to come and I would be amazed if they were not implemented as well.

"I do think lessons have been learnt. You have got to understand what's happened and make sure that does not happen again, and then rebuild trust in what is at the core of the BBC - which is the news services."

Lord Hall said his predecessor George Entwistle had left the BBC and others had moved to other jobs in the wake of the scandal.

"I don't say that is particularly good for them," he said. "It's not."

The new director general said he had joined the BBC because he "cared passionately" about the organisation.

He said: "I don't like rhetoric, I do believe this organisation needs a sense of confidence and direction of where it is going.

"I want to be able to demonstrate to everybody inside and outside that specific things are happening to take us in the direction I want to go."

Lord Hall said appointing a new head of news was "top of the in tray", as was appointing a new permanent boss for Newsnight.

And discussing broader changes to the BBC, the new director general pledged to review pay-offs and said senior salaries would not increase on his watch.

He said: "I think the size of the payoffs has not been right... I will not have a pay-off if I'm found wanting in all sorts of ways.

"There is a serious issue here, I'm looking at pay-offs and I will have something to say about pay-offs in the next couple of weeks."

Lord Hall said there was a need for the BBC to look at the way it spends all of its money, including management.

He added: "Senior salaries is a big issue, where I know a lot of work has been done on that, the senior salaries bill has come down already by a third and it will not grow under me.

"I will be looking for ways of simplifying the organisation, responding to things I hear from both insiders and also outsiders about the way this place can work more effectively."

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