Asked by: Earl of Clancarty (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Baroness Twycross on 12 June (HL Deb col 306GC), where the figures that the crafts subsector generated around £400 million in gross value added and employed around 7000 highly skilled artisans were originally sourced from; and how these these figures have been computed.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
These figures are sourced from accredited official statistics published by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) as part of the DCMS Sectors Economic Estimates series.
Our annual gross value added (GVA) statistics, based on data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), provisionally estimate that the crafts subsector contributed £400 million to the UK economy in 2023. Our employment statistics, based on data from the ONS Annual Population Survey, estimate that there were 7,000 filled jobs in the crafts subsector in 2023.
Detailed methodological information about these statistics is available in the accompanying technical report published in each statistics release.
Asked by: Earl of Clancarty (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the Arts Council England's report Leading the Crowd published on 15 May.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Government works closely with Arts Council England who support arts and cultural organisations to develop their fundraising skills and capacity to attract more private investment.
We welcome this report, and are committed to ensuring that the UK has the best framework for philanthropy, and that partnerships between government, philanthropists, businesses and civil society are maximised.
Asked by: Earl of Clancarty (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to negotiate rejoining Creative Europe.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
This government does not have any plans to rejoin Creative Europe, though we are committed to finding constructive ways to work with the EU and deliver for the British people on shared priorities and global challenges.
We recognise the UK’s creative and cultural sectors provide a unique and valuable contribution to Europe’s diverse cultural landscape. We are working with our world-leading sectors to ensure that they can continue to promote growth and enrich lives, at home and abroad, including through initiatives such as the £7 million UK Global Screen Fund, and the £1.6 million Music Export Growth Scheme.
Asked by: Earl of Clancarty (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of streaming on the level of the income of musicians and composers.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Government recognises the vital importance of ensuring that music creators, including musicians, songwriters and composers, are appropriately compensated for their work.
Many creators have legitimate concerns about remuneration from streaming. Revenues from recorded music constitute a small proportion of UK music creators’ earnings, with live music and teaching being the main ways in which music creators make a living from music (IPO report, 2021). I commend the efforts of industry to address this, such as the major labels’ decision to disregard unrecouped advances in older contracts, but there is further progress to be made.
As part of our ongoing commitment to supporting the creative industries, we are engaging constructively with a broad range of stakeholders from across the music ecosystem through a working group aiming to drive industry-led action on music streaming remuneration.
Asked by: Earl of Clancarty (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to negotiate bilateral agreements for work permits with individual EU member states which do not currently offer cultural exemptions for work of up to 90 days.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Government is committed to working collaboratively across departments to address the issue of musicians, performing artists and their support staff being able to tour across the EU. We will engage with the new European Commission and EU Member States, and explore how best to improve arrangements for touring across the European continent without a return to free movement. Our priority remains ensuring that UK artists can continue to thrive on the global stage.
Asked by: Earl of Clancarty (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to negotiate a visa-waiver agreement with the EU that allows UK artists and support staff to work in any part of the EU for up to 90 days in a period of 180 days.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Government is committed to working collaboratively across departments to address the issue of musicians, performing artists and their support staff being able to tour across the EU. We will engage with the new European Commission and EU Member States, and explore how best to improve arrangements for touring across the European continent without a return to free movement. Our priority remains ensuring that UK artists can continue to thrive on the global stage.
Asked by: Earl of Clancarty (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will conduct a formal review of the effect of the UK leaving the EU on the arts and creative industries.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Government is dedicated to fostering the growth and global leadership of the arts and creative sectors, which significantly bolster the UK’s economic prosperity, contributing 5.7% of the UK’s total Gross Value Add in 2022 (£124.6 billion). They enrich people’s lives, and play a vital role in presenting the UK as an attractive location to visit and invest.
We are determined to improve the UK’s trade and investment relationship with the EU by dismantling unnecessary barriers to trade. For the arts and creative sectors, this includes helping UK performing artists tour within the EU, enabling easier trade in the art, publishing and advertising sectors and facilitating greater cultural exchanges with the EU, as set out in the Government’s manifesto and Creating Growth: Labour’s Plan for the Arts, Culture and Creative Industries.
We have no immediate plans to conduct a formal review of the effect of leaving the EU on the arts and creative industries. Our focus is on working to reset the relationship with our European friends, neighbours and allies. The Prime Minister has had early positive early calls and meetings, including with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and key leaders in EU Member States. The Minister for the Constitution and European Union Relations and the Foreign Secretary have also held early senior ministerial engagements with European counterparts, including at NATO and the European Political Community. Further engagements will be taking place over the coming weeks and months.
We recognise that strengthening the relationship will take time, but this Government is ambitious and wants to move forward at pace, with clear manifesto priorities for the creative and cultural sectors.
Asked by: Earl of Clancarty (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to address concerns about the level of government funding for classical music, including the funding of institutions such as the English National Opera and the Welsh National Opera.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
We are committed to ensuring that creativity and culture can be enjoyed by everyone, not just by the privileged few. This applies equally to classical music and opera as it does to any
other musical genre.
In addition to their earned income and philanthropic support, the ENO and WNO are funded by arms’ lengths bodies including Arts Council England and the Welsh Arts Council, whose decisions
are made independently of government.
The Government is aware of the significant financial challenges facing many arts organisations and the new Secretary of State for Culture will be working closely with the cultural sector at large to
support them to thrive.
The Creating Growth plan for the Creative Industries which was published in March sets out a number of early priorities for the new Government in relation to the arts and culture - and includes commitments to review Arts Council England, attract more funding from different sources for arts organisations, and ensure every child gets a good creative education.
Asked by: Earl of Clancarty (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to reconvene the Touring Working Group; and, if not, why.
Answered by Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay - Shadow Minister (Culture, Media and Sport)
His Majesty’s Government is committed to supporting touring artists, and the music industry more widely, to adapt to new arrangements following our departure from the EU, and we have worked with the sector and directly with Member States to provide clarity and support.
The UK’s rules for touring creative professionals are more generous than those in many EU Member States. The vast majority of Member States — 23 out of 27 so far — have clarified arrangements to confirm that they allow visa- and work-permit-free routes for UK performers for some short-term touring. This includes the UK’s biggest touring markets such as France, Germany, and also Spain, which we are very pleased changed its position following engagement from HM Government and the UK music industry. We continue to work closely with the sector and to engage with the few remaining Member States to improve arrangements or clarify guidance. It is, of course, up to them if they want to replicate the UK’s generous approach, but we encourage them to do so.
We have worked across Government and in collaboration with the music and wider creative industries to support artists to work and tour with confidence in the European Union. Ongoing industry engagement continues at ministerial and official level. This includes several recent events with the sector focused on touring and export support, hosted in partnership with the Department for Business and Trade. These events help to provide tailored guidance to people and organisations in the sector, alongside an opportunity for the sector to discuss with Ministers and officials challenges and opportunities.
Asked by: Earl of Clancarty (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether there is any single individual body responsible for overseeing and addressing any problems encountered by musicians touring in Europe as a result of the UK's decision to leave the EU.
Answered by Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay - Shadow Minister (Culture, Media and Sport)
His Majesty’s Government is committed to supporting touring artists, and the music industry more widely, to adapt to new arrangements following our departure from the EU, and we have worked with the sector and directly with Member States to provide clarity and support.
The UK’s rules for touring creative professionals are more generous than those in many EU Member States. The vast majority of Member States — 23 out of 27 so far — have clarified arrangements to confirm that they allow visa- and work-permit-free routes for UK performers for some short-term touring. This includes the UK’s biggest touring markets such as France, Germany, and also Spain, which we are very pleased changed its position following engagement from HM Government and the UK music industry. We continue to work closely with the sector and to engage with the few remaining Member States to improve arrangements or clarify guidance. It is, of course, up to them if they want to replicate the UK’s generous approach, but we encourage them to do so.
We have worked across Government and in collaboration with the music and wider creative industries to support artists to work and tour with confidence in the European Union. Ongoing industry engagement continues at ministerial and official level. This includes several recent events with the sector focused on touring and export support, hosted in partnership with the Department for Business and Trade. These events help to provide tailored guidance to people and organisations in the sector, alongside an opportunity for the sector to discuss with Ministers and officials challenges and opportunities.