BROADCAST regulator Ofcom has ordered the BBC to spend the same amount on programmes per capita in each nation of the UK.

Published yesterday, the requirement is part of a new operating licence for the broadcaster set out by Ofcom – the first since it became the BBC’s first independent, external regulator in April. It is intended to ensure all parts of the UK are accurately reflected in the output across various TV channels and radio stations.

In 2015/16, the BBC raised about £320 million from Scottish licence fee payers but only spent 54.6 per cent of that revenue in Scotland. In contrast, Wales, had 95 per cent (£177.7m) of the £186.5m raised from licence fees spent in the country – though some of this is down to the demand for Welsh-language programmes. In Northern Ireland the figure was 74 per cent (£73.4m).

Earlier this year, the BBC announced plans for its biggest investment in Scotland for 20 years, including a a new BBC Scotland TV channel.

Other rules published in yesterday’s report include enforcing new quotas for specific genres of content, improving diversity, and increasing the number of original UK shows aired, especially during peak hours. Ofcom wants at least 75 per cent of all output from BBC One and BBC Two to be original material created in the UK, rising to 90 per cent at peak hours.

At least half of network hours on the BBC’s television channels are to be be made outside of London, with separate minimum quotas for each UK nation, broadly reflecting their population size. Furthermore, under the new licence BBC One and BBC Two must between them broadcast more than 6000 hours of programmes of specific interest to the nations and regions – 95 per cent of which must be made in the areas to which they relate.

Furthermore, children’s channels CBBC and CBeebies must respectively show at least 400 and 100 hours of brand new, UK-commissioned programmes each year, while Radio 1 and Radio 2 will be required to play a broader range of music than commercial radio, as well as more music by emerging UK artists.

Ofcom said it wanted “all parts of the UK to be accurately reflected, and invested in, by the BBC” and added that the operating licence also “requires more BBC content to be made across the UK and in the nations”.

It is hoped these new requirements will ensure the BBC offers “high- quality, distinctive programmes for its entire audience” and reflect the UK’s diverse communities.

Most of the changes will be implemented from January 1.

“These are a tough and challenging set of requirements which rightly demand a distinctive BBC which serves and represents all audiences throughout the whole UK,” said a BBC spokesperson. “We will now get on with meeting these requirements and continuing to provide the world-class, creative BBC the public wants.

“Network TV spend in Scotland in 2016 was 10.3 per cent, well beyond our 8.6 per cent target. This equated to over £84m spent on network TV content made in Scotland for the UK. Meanwhile, earlier this year we unveiled plans to make the biggest single investment in broadcast content in Scotland in over 20 years. This included proposals for a new BBC Scotland television channel, major investments in Scottish programming across network TV output, and further investment in BBC Alba.

“We are committed to doing more to help Scotland and its creative industries.”

Ofcom based its findings, in part, on feedback from viewers and stated that the operating licence would “evolve over time” in response to changing viewing habits and demands. It hopes the new requirements will raise the bar of performance from the BBC and safeguard vulnerable genres such as arts, music and religious programmes.

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “The requirement that the BBC must spend broadly the same amount per head on programmes in the nations is welcome. We expect this to now ensure that Scotland will get a fairer share of the BBC’s investment in programmes that we have long been calling for.

“We see the quotas set by Ofcom as a minimum and expect the BBC to go further.We expect Ofcom to ensure the BBC respects the spirit of this by commissioning programming that is genuinely from Scotland.”

The government expressed disappointment that Ofcom had decided to retain a single UK licence, saying: “We believe a dedicated licence for Scotland would have provided more transparency and accountability to licence payers in Scotland.

“New requirements to address under-representation and to ensure the BBC better represents audiences both on and off screen are a step in the right direction. We also welcome plans for in-depth review of how audiences are represented and portrayed and look forward to seeing more details on how this will support work to measure BBC performance in Scotland.”