The hardest word

I think I spotted a first yesterday. BBC DG Lord Hall apologised in public to the presenters who have been messed about over the past decade in the way they have been paid. He told the Public Accounts Committee he'd already apologised in person to various groups representing the staff, and was happy to repeat it.

It was rather sad it only came after 30 minutes of questioning. There was also an admission, finally, that many of these staff had been given Hobson's Choice when it came to setting up Personal Service Companies.

You can perhaps see why this has taken so long. An admission of fault on the BBC's part could be costly; but an admission that between them the  BBC and the HMRC had made a dog's dinner of things, prior to Lord Hall's return to the BBC, should have been forthcoming much sooner.

The Committee are still asking questions about past paperwork. Lord Hall insists there is no record of Board level decisions on PSCs, and there is no secret place they might be hidden. Meg Hillier described this as 'incredibly sloppy' (though, of course, it might be convenient for past BBC executives). The MPs want a trawl through papers that might have been provided by consultants - Deloitte and EY are still advising the BBC on employment tax regimes.