Asked by: Earl of Clancarty (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Lord Hanson of Flint on 24 October (HL Deb col 744), when they will carry out their review of the digitisation of immigration status; and when the results will be known.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
eVisas are a key part of delivering a border and immigration system which will be more digital and streamlined by 2025, a change that will enhance the applicant’s experience, deliver excellent value, and increase the immigration system’s security and efficiency.
Successful EUSS applicants are given a UK Visas and Immigration account, which they can use to view and share their immigration status with others securely and in real-time. The Withdrawal Agreement explicitly allows for status to be provided in digital form. We will continue working towards a border and immigration system that is digital by default, and issuing immigration status in the form of an eVisa is part of this.
As with all such major change programmes, we are keeping our eVisa systems under review during the implementation period to identify and address any emerging issues.
Asked by: Earl of Clancarty (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether reducing absenteeism in schools will be an explicit goal of the curriculum review.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Tackling absence is at the heart of the government’s mission to break down the barriers to opportunity. Thanks to the efforts of the sector there are more learners in school but, with 1.6 million children still persistently absent, this remains a major challenge.
The Curriculum and Assessment Review is being independently conducted by a group of education leaders (the review group) and chaired by Professor Becky Francis CBE. The terms of reference were published in July, which is attached and can also be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/curriculum-and-assessment-review.
The review will look closely at the key challenges to attainment for young people, and the barriers which hold children back from the opportunities and life chances they deserve, in particular those who are socioeconomically disadvantaged, or with special educational needs or disabilities. However, the review will not be able to address every issue facing the curriculum and assessment system. It will therefore seek to identify and focus on addressing the most significant and pressing issues facing curriculum and assessment without destabilising the system.
Ministers will take decisions on what changes to make to curriculum, assessment and qualifications in the light of the final recommendations from the review group next autumn.
Asked by: Earl of Clancarty (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Baroness Smith of Malvern on 17 October regarding the music and dance scheme (HL Deb col 303–04), whether they are having similar discussions with providers of the Dance and Drama Awards Scheme; and whether similar consideration will be given to support by the Department for Education for that scheme.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The government has engaged with providers involved in the Dance and Drama Awards scheme to discuss the issue of VAT on private education and will consider how best to support young people engaged in this programme following the spending review.
Asked by: Earl of Clancarty (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether providers offering higher-level diplomas funded through the Dance and Drama Awards Scheme will be subject to VAT on school fees.
Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
Where parents or families are paying fees for their child to attend a private school, they will pay VAT on those fees following this change.
Whilst developing these policies, the government has carefully considered the impact that they will have on pupils and their families across both the state and private sector, as well as the impact they will have on state and private schools. Following scrutiny by the independent Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), details of the Government’s assessment of the expected impacts of these policy changes will be published at the Budget on 30 October in the usual way.
Asked by: Earl of Clancarty (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to make Eurostar St Pancras a CITES designated port.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
There are no plans to make Eurostar St Pancras a CITES designated port following a review by UK Border Force that concluded it does not currently have the necessary capacity and infrastructure to undertake CITES checks. This will be kept under review.
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 Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to negotiate a cabotage exemption for the creative industries within the EU.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The Department for Transport is committed to working closely with the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, Department for Culture, Media and Sport, Cabinet Office and other relevant Whitehall departments to address key challenges facing the UK’s creative professionals and their support staff when touring in the EU.
We are working hard to reset the relationship with our European friends and know that strengthening this relationship will take time. This Government is ambitious and wants to make swift progress, with clear manifesto priorities for the creative and cultural sectors.
Asked by: Earl of Clancarty (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to reduce the cost of the ATA Carnet for cultural goods.
Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
The London Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) and its operational unit, the UK National ATA Carnet Organisation, is responsible for the issue of ATA Carnets in the UK. Issuing Chambers charge their own fees to cover their administration costs. The cost of an ATA Carnet also reflects the cost of providing a guarantee through an International Guarantee Chain, which covers any customs charges potentially due on goods in the countries to be visited.
The UK is currently participating in a pilot exercise to digitalise ATA Carnets and their processes as part of a World Customs Organisation (WCO) and International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) initiative. The Digital Pilot was launched in February 2019, initially involving the UK and five other countries. To date, the UK has successfully processed a number of e-ATA Carnets from Heathrow and is looking to collaborate with more ports to make digital Carnets more readily available.
There are other options for temporarily moving goods between the UK and EU which may be more cost-effective than an ATA Carnet, depending on the specific circumstances. The EU’s Temporary Admission procedure can be used in conjunction with the UK’s Returned Goods Relief to claim relief on goods which are temporarily imported into the EU, and subsequently re-exported back into the UK. More information can be found on GOV.UK.
Asked by: Earl of Clancarty (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to further improve the provision of A1 forms, in particular for self-employed workers in the music industry touring in the EEA.
Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
Since February 2023 HMRC have delivered three new online A1 application forms. These online forms are more accessible and provide a tailored customer journey for those applying for an A1 certificate.
In addition HMRC are adding automation to these forms, which will enable faster processing and reduce opportunities for error. HMRC expect the CA3837 used by self-employed workers in the music industry touring within the EEA, to be automated by October 2024.