Performing Artists and Musicians: Access to the EU

Lord Kennedy of Southwark Excerpts

Wednesday 22nd July 2026 Lords Chamber

[The Lord Bishop of Hereford]

My Lords—

[Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms and Chief Whip (Lord Kennedy of Southwark) (Lab Co-op)]

My Lords, we will hear from the right reverend Prelate next.

Sporting Events Bill [HL]

Lord Kennedy of Southwark Excerpts

3rd reading
Tuesday 21st July 2026 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Twycross]

That the Bill be now read a third time.

[Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms and Chief Whip (Lord Kennedy of Southwark) (Lab Co-op)]

My Lords, I have it in command from His Majesty the King and His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales to acquaint the House that they, having been informed of the purport of the Sporting Events Bill, have consented to place their interests, so far as they are affected by the Bill, at the disposal of Parliament for the purposes of the Bill.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Culture, Media and Sport (Baroness Twycross) (Lab)]

My Lords, before the formal Third Reading of the Sporting Events Bill, I will now make a short statement on the position regarding legislative consent. As noble Lords will know, the Bill affects the whole of the United Kingdom. We are seeking consent from each of the devolved legislatures and have been engaging constructively with the devolved Governments throughout the Bill’s passage. We will continue to work alongside the devolved Governments to ensure that final positions are reached in relation to legislative consent before the final amending stage in the second House. We will have more to say in the other place, and we will of course keep noble Lords updated on this. I beg to move that the Bill be now read a third time.

UK Streaming and Cinema Sector

Lord Kennedy of Southwark Excerpts

Monday 2nd March 2026 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Keeley (Lab)]

My Lords—

[Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms and Chief Whip (Lord Kennedy of Southwark) (Lab Co-op)]

My Lords, we will have the Cross Benches next, then we will come to Labour.

[Viscount Colville of Culross (CB)]

My Lords, I declare an interest as a television producer. The Media Act set up prominence for public service broadcasters in the digital space, but it does not cover video-sharing platforms such as YouTube, which is where increasing numbers of young people are watching their content. Now that the BBC has announced a partnership with YouTube, does the Minister agree that the prominence regime should be extended to amplify discoverability of public service broadcasting content on these services?

Uniformed youth groups: Promoting Skills and Resilience in Young People

Lord Kennedy of Southwark Excerpts

Monday 26th January 2026 Lords Chamber

[Lord Naseby (Con)]

My Lords—

[Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms and Chief Whip (Lord Kennedy of Southwark) (Lab Co-op)]

It is definitely the turn of the Conservative Benches. Can we make our mind up?

[Lord Bailey of Paddington (Con)]

My Lords, I declare my interest as the chair of the cadet health check team. The value of the uniformed services to our young people throughout the country is beyond doubt, particularly in the poorest communities in the country. The real challenge now is adult volunteers. The entire service is based on adult volunteers, so what work are the Government doing to improve recruitment and retention of those very valuable volunteers?

Creative Industries: Freelance Champion

Lord Kennedy of Southwark Excerpts

Thursday 22nd January 2026 Lords Chamber

[Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms and Chief Whip (Lord Kennedy of Southwark) (Lab Co-op)]

We will hear from the Labour Benches next, if we can please make our minds up.

[Baroness Wilcox of Newport (Lab)]

Please could my noble friend the Minister update us on the progress of implementing the creative industries sector plan? How is DCMS addressing problems of social mobility as part of the “arts for everyone, everywhere” vision?

--- Later in debate ---

[Baroness Buscombe (Con)]

My Lords—

[Lord Kennedy of Southwark (Lab Co-op)]

We will hear from the Conservative Benches next, then the Cross Benches.

[Baroness Buscombe (Con)]

My Lords, is one of the problems not that, in spite of the creative industries enjoying vast subsidies recently and throughout Covid—the Government were very generous—there are scant employment rights? The noble Baroness asked about freelancers, but the industry is rife with people who are nepotistic and people who say, “Come and work for us, but we cannot pay you”. Will the Government please track where those huge subsidies are going? I think I know; I think they are going to what are called non-executive and executive producers. Where is the money going in terms of employment rights?

--- Later in debate ---

[Noble Lords]

This side!

[Lord Kennedy of Southwark (Lab Co-op)]

We will hear from the Conservative Benches next, then the Labour Benches.

[Baroness Stedman-Scott (Con)]

My Lords, I genuinely congratulate the Government on the appointment of a person to look at these things. Notwithstanding what my noble friend said, the creative industries have been an absolute powerhouse in creating opportunities for young people. When the Kickstart scheme went live—I was involved—they embraced it, especially the people at Pinewood Studios. They gave them opportunities, such as James Bond, and some of us might remember the Ealing comedies. This was very good, but please can the Minister tell us whether the Government have done any impact assessment on the Employment Rights Act and the national insurance hikes? I think we will find that they have stopped opportunities for young people, so I hope it is something that the commissioner will look at.

Heritage Craft and Building Sector

Lord Kennedy of Southwark Excerpts

Monday 12th January 2026 Lords Chamber

[Lord Naseby (Con)]

My Lords—

[Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms and Chief Whip (Lord Kennedy of Southwark) (Lab Co-op)]

It is the turn of the Labour Benches.

[Baroness Andrews (Lab)]

My Lords, I thank the Chief Whip. I am very interested in what the noble Baroness has said about the range of initiatives, and very glad that she is talking to the rest of the heritage sector. The question that was raised, however, was about the strategic direction and need for systematic and scaled-up investment on a credible and systematic basis in terms of heritage skills. Although we need the skills to bring the historic environment up to scratch and to make the most of it, whether we are repurposing buildings or restoring them, this is not a niche issue. These skills are transferable into the whole of the construction economy, and we desperately need a lot of additional quality in that sector as well. Can the Minister give me some assurance that there is an endgame here where we will see a significant increase in the quality of apprenticeships and other qualification routes, whereby we will build our capacity to do these jobs over the next decade?

BBC Leadership

Lord Kennedy of Southwark Excerpts

Wednesday 12th November 2025 Lords Chamber

[Lord Birt (CB)]

My Lords—

[Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms and Chief Whip (Lord Kennedy of Southwark) (Lab Co-op)]

We will hear from the Labour Benches next, then the Cross Benches.

[Baroness Caine of Kentish Town (Lab)]

My Lords, as other noble Lords have noted, we must never shy away from discussing and addressing the BBC’s challenges and shortcomings. Charter renewal will be an important milestone in the history of a cherished national institution, and I trust that my noble friend and her ministerial colleagues will ensure steps are taken to strengthen public confidence in the leadership, accountability and performance of the corporation at every level. However, can my noble friend confirm that the Government remain—I think she has already said it, but we like to hear it repeated—fully committed to our main national public service broadcaster, which does so much so very well to inform, educate and entertain? Does she agree that a strong BBC will be central to efforts to tackle misinformation and disinformation nationally and internationally?

Parthenon Sculptures: Return

Lord Kennedy of Southwark Excerpts

Wednesday 16th July 2025 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Debbonaire (Lab)]

My Lords—

[Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms and Chief Whip (Lord Kennedy of Southwark) (Lab Co-op)]

There is time for both noble Lords to ask a question. We will have the noble Lord, Lord McNally, first, and then my noble friend.

[Lord McNally (LD)]

My Lords, the Minister has been rolling out excuses for no action on the Parthenon sculptures that have been used by Ministers of all parties for the last 50 years, at least to my knowledge. The role of museums is changing and there is great capacity for what I would describe as museum diplomacy. Is she aware what a massive gain it would be for our relations with Greece if—where there is a will, there is a way—we were to be able to return the Parthenon statutes and work with Greece on a celebration of Greek sculpture and art at the British Museum? That is the way museums should be moving, not as receptacles of our imperial past.

UEFA Euro 2020 Final

Lord Kennedy of Southwark Excerpts

Wednesday 26th January 2022 Lords Chamber

[Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay (Con)]

The noble Lord is right and he makes an important point. The vast majority of people who enjoy playing and watching football do so peacefully and bring great enjoyment and health benefits to themselves and those around them. It was a minority of people on 11 July who marred what should have been a very special day for football fans, not just in this country but around the world, and it is right that the blame for what happened lies squarely on them.

[Lord Kennedy of Southwark (Lab Co-op)]

My Lords, the noble Lord, Lord McLoughlin, talked about how important it is to make sure that we save Derby County Football Club. My club is Millwall, but I have been to Derby County many times, both to the old Baseball Ground and to Pride Park. It is a fabulous club; it needs our support, and the Government need to press the Football League to save it.

[Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay (Con)]

As I said, the Government continue to engage closely with the English Football League and have urged pragmatism so that a resolution can be found and that they can continue to play against Millwall and other football clubs.

Data Protection Act 2018: Children

Lord Kennedy of Southwark Excerpts

Thursday 4th March 2021 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Barran (Con)]

I entirely concur with the noble and learned Baroness.

[Lord Kennedy of Southwark (Lab Co-op)]

My Lords, when I read the government response to the call for evidence, it struck me that it is as important, if not more so, to take account of and reflect on adequate protections and to ensure that they are in place for young people, who evidently have a distinct lack of knowledge and awareness about, for example, how an advertiser might use their personal data. If the noble Baroness agrees with me on that point, what thought have she and her department given to delivering that extra protection by non-legislative means? If she has any examples to share, I am sure the House would welcome them.

[Baroness Barran (Con)]

The noble Lord makes an important point, particularly in relation to adtech. As he will be aware, the ICO has recently reopened its investigation into it, which it had to pause last year because of Covid-19 constraints. If it is to be effective, our media literacy strategy needs to cover all these points, including giving children and their parents an understanding of how their data is used.