Asked by: Lord Kempsell (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the state of the UK commercial art market, particularly in London, and what plans they have to support that sector.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
We published art market statistics in December 2024 and the sector will be included alongside DCMS’s regularly scheduled publication of GVA, employment and trade in goods statistics going forward.
The UK has the second largest art market in the world and the Government is committed to embedding our position as a global centre for the trade of art. This commitment is shown through the sector’s inclusion in the Creative Industries Sector Plan published in June.
The Government takes a joined-up approach to supporting the art market and, in 2024, launched the first Cross-Government Art Market Working Group, bringing together officials across Government to ensure the sector is represented in all relevant policy matters.
The Government recently announced improvements to Temporary Admission (TA), a customs procedure to suspend import duties for artwork temporarily in the UK.
The Minister for the Creative Industries is hosting an art market roundtable later this month to explore the part the art market plays in the wider UK art and creative industries ecosystem, and how the government and the sector can work together to support its growth.
Asked by: Lord Kempsell (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to protect and support sacred choral music in the UK including by supporting (1) cathedral choirs, and (2) relevant music education.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
HM Government has a strong commitment to all forms of music, including choral music.
Between 2019/20 and 2023/24 Arts Council England funded activity with a choral focus or element by nearly £200 million. This funding has supported the development, touring and promotion of choral music throughout England. Organisations supported by this funding include Ex Cathedra, a nationally recognised choir with a repertoire that reaches from the 12th to the 21st centuries.
Within the Music and Dance Scheme, the Department for Education continues to fund bursaries for training choristers through the Choir Schools’ Association.
Asked by: Lord Kempsell (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to improve the cybersecurity of publicly-funded cultural institutions after the recent cyberattack on the British Library.
Answered by Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay - Shadow Minister (Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government Cyber Security Strategy sets out our plan significantly to harden the Government’s critical functions against cyber attacks by 2025, with all Government organisations across the public sector being resilient to known vulnerabilities no later than 2030. We are working closely with publicly-funded institutions to enhance their overall cyber-resilience and to ensure that these targets are met.
The National Cyber Security Centre and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport have been working closely with the British Library since the cyber-attack it sustained in October 2023. The British Library is working hard to restore its services and began a phased return of key services on 15 January 2024.