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Regulatory framework.

The Charter and Agreement require the BBC and the Trust to publish documents explaining the BBC's purposes, setting out its policies and priorities, and describing the remits of its services.

Charter and Agreement

The Royal Charter and the Agreement provide the constitutional basis for the BBC.

The Charter

The Charter sets out the Public Purposes of the BBC and guarantees its editorial independence. It prescribes the constitution of the BBC, the relationship between the Trust and the Executive Board, and the duties and functions of both bodies.

The new Royal Charter was granted to the BBC on 19 September 2006. It took full effect from 1 January 2007 (subject only to some very limited transitional provisions which continue to apply after that date).

The Agreement

The Agreement complements the Charter. It goes into more detail on many of the subjects mentioned in the Charter and also covers such things as the BBC's regulatory obligations and funding arrangements.

The Agreement was made between the BBC and the Secretary of State for Culture Media and Sport, and approved after a debate in Parliament in July 2006.