Asked by: Giles Watling (Conservative - Clacton)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether the Government's proposed trade deals with Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein include permit free touring provisions for UK support staff involved in touring activities in the EEA.
Answered by Caroline Dinenage
The UK’s creative industries are the finest in the world and this Government understands that the cultural and creative sectors rely on the ability to move people across borders quickly, simply, and with minimal cost and administration.
On 8 July, the UK - Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein Free Trade Agreement was signed.
The agreement allows UK touring artists, entertainers and support staff to travel to and work in Norway and Liechtenstein for 90 days in any 180 day period, and Iceland for 90 days in one calendar year without the need for a work permit.
The deal was based on the same UK offer that the EU turned down in negotiations. This shows our proposals were workable and our door remains open if the EU is willing to reconsider its position.
To provide further clarity on the arrangements, UK and EEA states plan to issue a non-binding clarification of entry routes for performers, artists and their support staff.
Asked by: Giles Watling (Conservative - Clacton)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what plans he has to work with his counterparts in the EU member states that have more restrictive visa and work permit requirements than those of the UK, to ensure that artists from the UK can continue touring on a reciprocal basis.
Answered by Caroline Dinenage
We have always acknowledged that the end of freedom of movement would have consequences for touring musicians and performers. That is why, as the Secretary of State has said, we have moved at pace and with urgency to provide greater clarity about the current position, including working with our friends in EU Member States, to support the creative sectors tour in Europe with ease.
Member States are principally responsible for deciding the rules governing what work UK visitors can undertake in the EU, and we have spoken to every Member State. We have established musicians and performers do not need visas or work permits for short-term tours in at least 19 out of 27 Member States. This includes France, Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark and many more. The length of tour permitted without a visa or permit varies across Member States. For many Member States it is for up to 90 days, which will capture the vast majority of tours.
We are continuing to speak to all Member States to encourage them to ensure their rules and guidance are clear and accessible. And we are now working closely with those Member States that do require visas or work permits for short-term tours to encourage them to adopt a more flexible approach, in line with the UK’s own rules which allow creative professionals to tour here easily. Formal approaches have been made to those Member States, and DCMS ministers will play an active role in discussions.
Asked by: Giles Watling (Conservative - Clacton)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer on 25 May to Question 3150 on Theatre: EU Countries, what assessment his Department has made of the varying time limits placed on touring activities without needing visas or work permits offered by the 17 EU Member States.
Answered by Caroline Dinenage
We have always acknowledged that the end of freedom of movement would have consequences for touring musicians and performers. That is why, as the Secretary of State has said, we have moved at pace and with urgency to provide greater clarity about the current position, including working with our friends in EU Member States, to support the creative sectors tour in Europe with ease.
Member States are principally responsible for deciding the rules governing what work UK visitors can undertake in the EU, and we have spoken to every Member State. We have established musicians and performers do not need visas or work permits for short-term tours in at least 19 out of 27 Member States. This includes France, Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark and many more. The length of tour permitted without a visa or permit varies across Member States. For many Member States it is for up to 90 days, which will capture the vast majority of tours.
We are continuing to speak to all Member States to encourage them to ensure their rules and guidance are clear and accessible. And we are now working closely with those Member States that do require visas or work permits for short-term tours to encourage them to adopt a more flexible approach, in line with the UK’s own rules which allow creative professionals to tour here easily. Formal approaches have been made to those Member States, and DCMS ministers will play an active role in discussions.
Asked by: Giles Watling (Conservative - Clacton)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent progress he has made on (a) short term visa and (b) work permit requirements for touring artists and support staff since since the publication on the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement.
Answered by Caroline Dinenage
We have always acknowledged that the end of freedom of movement would have consequences for touring musicians and performers. That is why, as the Secretary of State has said, we have moved at pace and with urgency to provide greater clarity about the current position, including working with our friends in EU Member States, to support the creative sectors tour in Europe with ease.
Member States are principally responsible for deciding the rules governing what work UK visitors can undertake in the EU, and we have spoken to every Member State. We have established musicians and performers do not need visas or work permits for short-term tours in at least 19 out of 27 Member States. This includes France, Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark and many more. The length of tour permitted without a visa or permit varies across Member States. For many Member States it is for up to 90 days, which will capture the vast majority of tours.
We are continuing to speak to all Member States to encourage them to ensure their rules and guidance are clear and accessible. And we are now working closely with those Member States that do require visas or work permits for short-term tours to encourage them to adopt a more flexible approach, in line with the UK’s own rules which allow creative professionals to tour here easily. Formal approaches have been made to those Member States, and DCMS ministers will play an active role in discussions.
Asked by: Giles Watling (Conservative - Clacton)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the potential effect of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement with the EU on UK hauliers supporting theatre productions that originate in the UK to undertake a continuous multinational tour in Europe.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
Our assessment is that the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) ensures that the majority of haulage operations will continue as they did before the end of the transition period. Under the agreement, UK operators are limited to 2 movements within the EU before returning to the UK.
Asked by: Giles Watling (Conservative - Clacton)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport, what recent assessment he has made of the potential effect of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement with the EU on the ability of theatre productions that originate in the UK to undertake a continuous multinational tour in Europe.
Answered by Caroline Dinenage
This Government recognises the importance of our world leading creative and cultural industries, including theatre. Touring is a vital part of performers’ careers, providing not only a vital income stream, but also enriching opportunities for cultural exchange across the world. Being outside the European Union does not change this. It does, however, mean practical changes on both sides of the Channel that will require understanding and adaptation.
UK performers and artists are of course still able to tour and perform in the EU, and vice versa. However, we understand the concerns about the new arrangements and we are committed to supporting the sectors as they get to grips with the changes to systems and processes.
As the Prime Minister has said, we're working flat out with the industry, including through the DCMS-led working group, on plans to support the creative sectors tour in Europe. Through our bilateral discussions with EU Member States, we have established that in at least 17 out of 27 Member States some touring activities are possible without visas or work-permits.
In recognition of the value of the cultural and creative industries - including theatre - at Budget 2021 this government announced an additional £300 million of support in England through the Culture Recovery Fund. This extra funding means that our total support package for culture during the pandemic is now approaching £2 billion. These are unprecedented sums.
Asked by: Giles Watling (Conservative - Clacton)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that maternity units implement the recommendations in the MBRRACE Perinatal Confidential Enquiry into stillbirths and neonatal deaths in twin pregnancies.
Answered by Nadine Dorries
Through the Maternity Transformation Programme, a range of interventions are being implemented to support the delivery of maternity and neonatal care according to clinical guidelines, as recommended in the MBRRACE Perinatal Confidential Enquiry into stillbirths and neonatal deaths in twin pregnancies, and to improve perinatal outcomes.
Every National Health Service maternity service is actively implementing elements of the Saving Babies Lives Care Bundle which sets out specific care pathways that can affect twin/multiple pregnancies including prevention of fetal growth restriction and preterm birth. Multidisciplinary fetal medicine clinics are being established across England, which aim to ensure that high risk women have timely access to specialist advice and care at all stages of pregnancy.
Asked by: Giles Watling (Conservative - Clacton)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the local housing allowance for under 35 year olds to access available accommodation options.
Answered by Will Quince
For those under 35, the shared accommodation rate (SAR) of Local Housing Allowance applies to those living on their own and renting privately. However, there are certain exemptions which allow claimants to receive the higher one-bedroom rate instead of the SAR. These include those in receipt of the severe disability premium, care leavers up to the age of 22 and those over 25 who have spent at least three months in a homeless hostel.
As announced on 3 March, we will be extending the exemption for care leavers and former residents of homeless hostels to all qualifying under 25 year olds from June 2021. This will bring forward the planned implementation of these previously announced changed by over 2 years.
More broadly, in April 2020 LHA rates were raised, including all SARs, to the 30th percentile of local rents and are being maintained in cash terms for 2021/22.
Asked by: Giles Watling (Conservative - Clacton)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to support local authorities during the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Luke Hall - Minister of State (Education)
The Government has allocated over £8 billion directly to councils since the start of the pandemic.
In addition, local authorities are expected to receive over £3 billion of support in 2021-22, for both additional expenditure pressures and loss of income.
This takes the total support committed to councils in England to tackle the impacts of COVID-19 to over £11 billion.
Asked by: Giles Watling (Conservative - Clacton)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the covid-19 lockdown restrictions announced in January 2021, what the maximum distance is that people are permitted to travel for exercise.
Answered by Nadine Dorries
There is no specific distance applicable to all circumstances. However, the advice is that to meet the legal requirement not to leave home to travel unless for work or other legally permitted reasons. To reduce the risk of transmission, people should stay local and avoid travelling outside of the village, town or the part of a city where they live and look to reduce the number of journeys made overall.