Asked by: Lord Crathorne (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will extend the temporary export bar placed on the Portrait of Omai by Sir Joshua Reynolds to allow additional time for a UK gallery or institution to acquire the painting.
Answered by Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
We are in regular contact with the National Portrait Gallery and fully support their efforts to purchase this exceptional painting. In view of the strong support we have seen so far, the Government has extended the export deferral period to 10 June 2023 to provide every opportunity to save the Portrait of Omai so that the widest possible audience can see, enjoy, and learn from it for generations to come.
Asked by: Lord Crathorne (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will provide an update on the steps being taken to allow a UK gallery or institution to acquire the Portrait of Omai by Sir Joshua Reynolds.
Answered by Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
We are in regular contact with the National Portrait Gallery and fully support their efforts to purchase this exceptional painting. In view of the strong support we have seen so far, the Government has extended the export deferral period to 10 June 2023 to provide every opportunity to save the Portrait of Omai so that the widest possible audience can see, enjoy, and learn from it for generations to come.
Asked by: Lord Crathorne (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether land that has been taken out of agricultural production for an environmental scheme or project will be eligible for (1) Agricultural Property Relief, or (2) equivalent relief.
Answered by Baroness Penn - Minister on Leave (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State)
The availability of relief is a question of fact and degree to be decided upon the particular facts of each case. Land that has been taken out of agricultural production over an extended period for an environmental scheme or project is unlikely to qualify for agricultural property relief from inheritance tax. However, owner-occupiers may continue to benefit from business property relief if the land is still used in the business and the overall business is not one of wholly or mainly making or holding investments.
Asked by: Lord Crathorne (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what their timescale is for progressing the Commons Act 2006 and expanding its coverage beyond the current pilot areas.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
There is currently no timescale for implementing the registration provisions as set out in the Commons Act 2006 for the remaining commons registration authorities in England.
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 Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how much the cost of the Elizabeth Line has exceeded original forecasts.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The original funding package agreed in the 2010 Spending Review to fund delivery of Crossrail (excluding costs for trains and depots) was £14.8 billion.
Current forecast costs for completing Crossrail are £18.9 billion. This includes Network Rail On Network Works costs for surface works but exclude costs for trains and depots.
Asked by: Lord Crathorne (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with Transport for London about whether the Elizabeth Line will be open before the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations; and what was the outcome of those discussions.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
Delivery of the Elizabeth line comes under the remit of the Mayor of London and Transport for London (TfL).
TfL has stated that Elizabeth line remains on schedule to open the central section tunnel between Abbey Wood and Paddington in the first half of 2022. Specific opening dates will only be communicated once the railway is safe and reliable to open to passengers.
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 HM Treasury:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the ability of self-employed artists to access COVID-19 financial support schemes.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
The new Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) will help those with lost trading profits due to COVID-19. The new scheme will allow eligible individuals to claim a taxable grant worth 80% of their trading profits up to a maximum of £2,500 per month for 3 months. This may be extended if needed. Self-employed individuals, including members of partnerships, are eligible if they have submitted their Income Tax Self Assessment tax return for the tax year 2018-19, continued to trade, and have lost trading/partnership trading profits due to COVID-19. To qualify, their self-employed trading profits must be less than £50,000, with more than half of their income from self-employment. Some 95% of people who are mainly self-employed could benefit from this scheme.
More information about the SEISS, including the eligibility criteria and how to claim, is available on GOV.UK.
The SEISS supplements the other significant support announced for individuals and businesses, including the Government’s relaxation of the earnings rules (known as the Minimum Income Floor) in Universal Credit, the Bounce Back Loans Scheme for small businesses, the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme, and the deferral of tax payments. More information about the full range of business support measures is available on GOV.UK.