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| Mark Byford: £1m BBC payoff 'not greed' | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Mark Byford, the former deputy director general of the BBC, has defended a controversial pay-off package that saw him leave the BBC with £949,000. | Mark Byford, the former deputy director general of the BBC, has defended a controversial pay-off package that saw him leave the BBC with £949,000. |
| He told BBC Radio 5 Live's Victoria Derbyshire: "I absolutely don't think it was greed on my part at all". | He told BBC Radio 5 Live's Victoria Derbyshire: "I absolutely don't think it was greed on my part at all". |
| Byford left the BBC in 2011 after being made redundant as part of drive to cut the number of highly-paid senior executives at the BBC. | Byford left the BBC in 2011 after being made redundant as part of drive to cut the number of highly-paid senior executives at the BBC. |
| He side-stepped questions about paying any of the money back. | He side-stepped questions about paying any of the money back. |
| He said the payoff was "properly approved" and added: "I absolutely think I've done no wrong." | He said the payoff was "properly approved" and added: "I absolutely think I've done no wrong." |
| A report by the National Audit Office, released in July this year, criticised the BBC for paying out £25m in severance to 150 outgoing senior BBC managers - £2m more than their contracts stipulated. | A report by the National Audit Office, released in July this year, criticised the BBC for paying out £25m in severance to 150 outgoing senior BBC managers - £2m more than their contracts stipulated. |
| Byford's payment was revealed to be the highest at £949,000, after 32 years of service at the BBC. | Byford's payment was revealed to be the highest at £949,000, after 32 years of service at the BBC. |
| Byford, speaking to Derbyshire during an interview to promote his new book, admitted it was a large sum but said that he had not wanted to leave the corporation. | Byford, speaking to Derbyshire during an interview to promote his new book, admitted it was a large sum but said that he had not wanted to leave the corporation. |
| "I lost my job, I was made redundant, I left when I was told to leave by the BBC. After 32 years of working there I was devoted to the corporation," said Byford. | "I lost my job, I was made redundant, I left when I was told to leave by the BBC. After 32 years of working there I was devoted to the corporation," said Byford. |
| "It was a lot of money and it was in a context that I was the number two at the BBC and I'd served a lot of years there. | "It was a lot of money and it was in a context that I was the number two at the BBC and I'd served a lot of years there. |
| "It was in a context of being made redundant in a very big cull of senior management. I didn't want to go, I loved my job but I absolutely understood that if it [redundancy] touched me I would accept it." | "It was in a context of being made redundant in a very big cull of senior management. I didn't want to go, I loved my job but I absolutely understood that if it [redundancy] touched me I would accept it." |
| 'Value for money' | 'Value for money' |
| Former director general Mark Thompson, who oversaw Byford's payment, was questioned by MPs on the Public Accounts Committee about the issue in September this year. | Former director general Mark Thompson, who oversaw Byford's payment, was questioned by MPs on the Public Accounts Committee about the issue in September this year. |
| He told them that Byford's payoff had represented "value for money" and denied current director general Tony Hall's claims that the BBC had "lost its way". | He told them that Byford's payoff had represented "value for money" and denied current director general Tony Hall's claims that the BBC had "lost its way". |
| Since taking up the job in April Lord Hall has introduced a cap on BBC severance payments of £150,000. | Since taking up the job in April Lord Hall has introduced a cap on BBC severance payments of £150,000. |