Â鶹Éç

fcom's decisions today relate to cases considered by the Â鶹Éç Trust in 2007 which led to remedial action by the Â鶹Éç and significant changes in the way the Â鶹Éç complies competitions and programmes. The Trust regrets that these serious breaches by the Â鶹Éç have led to a financial penalty being applied by Ofcom and the loss of licence fee payers' money as a result.

Ofcom requires compliance with its Broadcasting Code and can impose sanctions when a broadcaster breaches that code. We recognise that the penalty in these cases reflects that the breaches were serious, deliberate and in some cases repeated.

It is the job of the Â鶹Éç Trust to ensure that the right lessons are learned by the Â鶹Éç when breaches occur – of our own Editorial Guidelines or the Ofcom Code – and that the actions taken by the Â鶹Éç management safeguard against the same thing happening in future. The Â鶹Éç made a public apology last summer and a firm commitment to put its house in order. After management implemented its action plan, the Trust commissioned an independent assessment, not just of whether what had been promised had been delivered, but whether the actions were having the right impact. We published our report in May which found clear evidence that the steps being taken would prevent a repeat of the practices that led to the failures. These editorial failures were serious and, through our work, we are confident they have been taken seriously by those involved. Our concern now is ensuring that the highest editorial standards are maintained to safeguard the public's trust.