Asked by: Lord Crathorne (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the government of Ukraine regarding the protection of collections in museums in Ukraine to protect them from possible looting during the current conflict; and what support they are providing to the government of that country.
Answered by Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Secretary of State for the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport has written to, and met virtually, the Ukrainian Minister of Culture, offering whatever practical support is feasible, and has since been keeping in regular contact, discussing, among other issues, the protection of cultural property in Ukraine. I also met the Deputy Minister, Kateryna Chuyeva, at the Venice Biennale this year where I reinforced this offer.
As of 9 May, UNESCO had verified damage to 127 cultural sites in Ukraine since Russia’s illegal invasion. We are continuously working with UNESCO, Blue Shield International, the British Council, and other allies to ensure Russia meets its obligations under the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict.
Through the Cultural Protection Fund – a partnership between DCMS and the British Council – Her Majesty’s Government is also directly supporting the Cultural Emergency Response for Ukraine, an international effort co-ordinated by the Prince Claus Fund. The Cultural Emergency Response has provided urgent assistance to Ukrainian museums and collections at risk from looting, damage, and destruction. This includes providing materials and technical assistance to safely package and secure collections.
Asked by: Lord Crathorne (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress they have made on appointing a new Chair of the Wallace Collection.
Answered by Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The process to appoint a new Chairman of the Wallace Collection will be a fair and open competition, run in accordance with the Governance Code on Public Appointments. We expect to launch the process shortly. I was delighted to visit the Wallace Collection on 25 January.
Asked by: Lord Crathorne (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to help (1) artists, and (2) self-employed people working in the creative industries, to recoup costs incurred in the production of projects now cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
We know that the Covid-19 pandemic presents a significant challenge to many of DCMS’ sectors including the arts and creative industries. That is why the Government has announced unprecedented support for businesses and workers to protect them against the current economic emergency including a Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme; £330 billion worth of government-backed and guaranteed loans to support businesses and a Self-Employed Income Support Scheme. Most recently, we have introduced the Coronavirus bounce back loan, to help small and medium-sized businesses, many of which are situated in the creative industries sector, to borrow between £2,000 and £50,000. The government will guarantee 100% of the loan and there won’t be any fees or interest to pay for the first 12 months in order to help businesses in their recovery. We continue to work closely with our partners across the creative industries and arts to understand the impact of Covid-19 on their activities and provide the necessary support.
DCMS has also worked closely with Arts Council England to provide a tailored package of financial support to those within the Arts sector. In March, Arts Council England announced a £160m emergency response package to complement the financial measures already announced by the Government and support the resilience of this vital sector. This funding package will support organisations and individuals who need the most support to see them through this crisis. More details can be found on the Arts Council’s website (https://www.artscouncil.org.uk/covid19).
Those artists who own a Theatrical Production Company may be eligible to recoup costs via the Theatre Tax Relief, more details can be found through HMRC guidance (https://www.gov.uk/hmrc-internal-manuals/theatre-tax-relief).
Asked by: Lord Crathorne (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the findings of the report of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Knife Crime that rising knife crime is linked to cuts in youth services, what are their plans to introduce a national youth strategy; and who will be responsible for its implementation.
Answered by Lord Ashton of Hyde
No report has yet been issued by the APPG on Knife Crime and statistics published to date are interim ones pending further responses from Local Authorities. We will make a full assessment of those findings once a report is published.
The government recognises that the causes of knife crime are complex and are often tied to local factors and we are committed to taking a multi-agency approach to tackling serious violence.
Last month following the Prime Minister’s summit on serious youth violence, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport announced that the Government will be developing a new Youth Charter, which will set out our vision for young people over the next generation and beyond. We will be working closely across government, and alongside young people themselves, the youth sector, and other partners.
My department will also continue to work closely with the Home Office on the implementation of the Serious Violence Strategy.
Asked by: Lord Crathorne (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what percentage of North Yorkshire has geographic mobile network coverage.
Answered by Lord Ashton of Hyde
Ofcom publishes mobile coverage data at the local or unitary authority level. Its latest report, published on 2 October 2018, shows geographic mobile coverage in the North Yorkshire area, split by local or unitary authorities. This can be found in the attached table.
Asked by: Lord Crathorne (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to introduce entrance charges for overseas visitors to visit national museums and art galleries.
Answered by Lord Ashton of Hyde
Free entry to museums is government policy; indeed, retaining free entry to the permanent collections of our major national museums and galleries was a 2017 manifesto commitment. There are no plans to change this position.
We are proud that our world-leading museums are open to all; free entry is vital to participation, removing a financial barrier to experiencing collections which have been left to the nation in perpetuity. Since the introduction of the policy of free entry to the DCMS-sponsored museums, we have seen visitor numbers rise dramatically, particularly among young people, hard to reach groups, and overseas visitors.
Asked by: Lord Crathorne (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what percentage of dwellings in North Yorkshire have access to superfast broadband.
Answered by Lord Ashton of Hyde
According to Thinkbroadband, 90.75% of premises in North Yorkshire currently have access to Superfast Broadband. Further premises will be connected through both the Department’s Superfast roll-out and commercial delivery.
Asked by: Lord Crathorne (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of superfast broadband coverage in North Yorkshire.
Answered by Lord Ashton of Hyde
According to Thinkbroadband, 90.75% of premises in North Yorkshire currently have access to Superfast Broadband. Further premises will be connected through both the Department’s Superfast roll-out and commercial delivery.