Asked by: Lord Wigley (Plaid Cymru - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many people are employed in the UK's creative economy.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
In 2020, there were 3,518,000 filled jobs in the wider UK creative economy, which consists of 2,221,000 filled jobs in the creative industries, as well as 1,297,000 filled jobs in creative occupations in industries outside of the creative industries.
Following the Office for National Statistics (ONS) revision of Standard Occupation Classification (SOC) data, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport is in the process of defining which SOC2020 codes should be included in the creative occupations. Creative economy estimates for 2021 onwards will be published once this work has concluded.
We have more recent official statistics on the number of filled jobs in the creative industries, without creative occupations in industries outside of the creative industries. The most recent annual statistics show that in 2024, there were 2,409,000 filled jobs in the creative industries in the UK (8.5% more than in 2020).
Asked by: Lord Wigley (Plaid Cymru - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to prevent the sale of tickets for cultural and sporting events at prices above face value; and by what date they plan to have new legislation in force.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
This Government is committed to introducing new protections for consumers on ticket resales, and on 19th November we published our response to our consultation on live event ticket resales and call for evidence on pricing practices in the sector.
Our consultation response sets out that we intend to to take forward the following measures:
A price cap prohibiting the resale of a live events ticket for more than the original ticket cost.
A cap on service fees charged by ticket platforms on resales.
Resale volume limits prohibiting people from reselling more tickets than they were entitled to purchase in the primary sale.
Strict legal obligations on platforms to ensure compliance with the price cap.
Enforcement of the above measures by the Competition and Markets Authority and other public enforcers through Part 3 of the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024.
We will bring forward legislation to enact these measures when parliamentary time allows.
Asked by: Lord Wigley (Plaid Cymru - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is the value of the film industry to the UK economy, and what proportion of this figure can be attributed to companies that are headquartered in the USA.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
In 2023 the film, TV, video, radio and photography industry had a GVA of £21.2 billion.
In 2024 production spend on film and high-end TV reached £5.6 billion, of which £4.8 billion was inward investment, the majority of which came from US studios. The value and success of our film industry is owed to a collaborative mix of inward investment and our domestic industry. Inward investment projects stimulate growth, good jobs and training across our nations and regions.
The deep ties between the US and UK film industries provide mutual benefits to both countries. Productions are by their very nature international partnerships, which are often developed and created across different countries and locations. The UK and the US both benefit when the likes of Star Wars and Mission Impossible are partly filmed in the UK, just as we both benefit from the close working relationship between our producers, talent and crew.
Asked by: Lord Wigley (Plaid Cymru - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with representatives of commercial radio companies regarding reduction of their presence in Wales.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Media Act 2024 gives commercial radio greater flexibility to organise its programmes to meet the changing needs of its audiences. While decisions on changes to local radio services are ultimately matters for commercial radio companies, we are disappointed in recent decisions which have resulted in the end of Welsh language programmes.
The Government is a strong supporter of Welsh language broadcasting and will consider the wider implications on Welsh language radio with the Welsh Government and other stakeholders in Wales. Neither I nor any DCMS Ministers have had any direct discussions on this matter with Global.
Asked by: Lord Wigley (Plaid Cymru - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what proportion of tourists visiting the UK they estimate visit Wales.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Based on the latest available data from VisitBritain and the International Passenger Survey (IPS), the UK received 38 million inbound visitors in 2023, of which Wales received 892,000 visits.
Asked by: Lord Wigley (Plaid Cymru - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they will take to promote the UNESCO designated Slate communities in Wales as tourist attractions for visitors to the UK.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
While tourism in Wales is devolved to the Welsh Government, VisitBritain, an arm’s length body of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, retains responsibility for marketing Great Britain on the international stage.
Visit Wales leads on the development of a tourism brand specifically for Wales, while VisitBritain works with Visit Wales to ensure that these brand values are reflected in the broader GREAT Campaign, which highlights a number of the many destinations and experiences on offer across Wales.
VisitBritain champions Wales as a distinguished travel destination, emphasizing its rich cultural heritage and landscape. VisitBritain also promotes UNESCO heritage sites on its website, including Wales slate communities.
Asked by: Lord Wigley (Plaid Cymru - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many US citizens have been registered as having donated to UK charities in the most recent year for which statistics are available.
Answered by Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay - Shadow Minister (Culture, Media and Sport)
HM Government does not hold information on the nationality of donors to UK charities – but we are, of course, grateful to all those who donate to good causes.
Asked by: Lord Wigley (Plaid Cymru - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to have discussions with senior staff at the British Museum about returning the Mold Gold Cape to Wales.
Answered by Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay - Shadow Minister (Culture, Media and Sport)
The British Museum operates independently of His Majesty's Government, and decisions relating to the care and management of its collections are a matter for the Museum’s trustees.
The British Museum, as well as some other national museums, is prevented by law from removing objects from its collections, with a limited number of exceptions, none of which apply in this case. The Government has no plan to change the law.
As the former Director of the British Museum, Neil MacGregor, recounts in his A History of the World in 100 Objects (2010), it is thanks to the work of the British Museum over more than a century that so many fragments of the Mold Gold Cape have been reunited, following their dispersal shortly after it was discovered at Bryn-yr-Ellyllon in 1833.
Asked by: Lord Wigley (Plaid Cymru - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking, in promoting the UK as a tourist destination, to ensure that appropriate prominence is given to the attractions of Wales.
Answered by Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay - Shadow Minister (Culture, Media and Sport)
His Majesty’s Government works to promote the whole United Kingdom as a destination for tourists, both domestic and international, working with the devolved governments and administrations across the UK.
VisitBritain promotes the UK abroad by running advertising and promotional campaigns in prospective markets. It generates a return on investment of £21 for every £1 spent; as a result of its activity, international visitors spent an additional £34 million in Wales in 2019–20 alone.
Visit Wales leads on the development of a tourism brand specifically for Wales, while VisitBritain works with Visit Wales to ensure that these brand values are reflected in the broader GREAT Campaign, which highlights a number of the many wonderful destinations and experiences on offer across Wales.
Asked by: Lord Wigley (Plaid Cymru - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is their most recent estimate of the annual number of overseas visitors to (1) the UK and (2) Wales.
Answered by Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay - Shadow Minister (Culture, Media and Sport)
In 2022, overseas residents made an estimated 31.2 million visits to the UK according to the Office for National Statistics. The ONS estimated a total of 686,000 visits to Wales for the same year.