Asked by: Kevin Brennan (Labour - Cardiff West)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what meetings he has had with representatives of the recorded music industry in 2021.
Answered by Caroline Dinenage
In 2021 the Secretary of State has attended meetings with the following representatives of the recorded music industry including:
Rob Stringer, Chairman of the Sony Music Group;
A roundtable chaired by Sir Bernard Jenkin which included a number of music stakeholders, including Deborah Annetts (Chair of the Incorporated Society of Musicians), Mark Pemberton (Director of the Association of British Orchestras) and Dame Sarah Connolly;
Sir Elton John and David Furnish;
Lucian Grainge, Universal Music
A roundtable that included representatives from the Featured Artists Coalition (FAC), Association of Independent Music (AIM), Music Managers Forum (MMF), Musicians Union (MU), UK Music, British Phonographic Industry (BPI) and the Music Producers Guild;
Rebecca Ferguson.
Asked by: Kevin Brennan (Labour - Cardiff West)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether he has plans to meet artists and songwriters following their open letter to the Prime Minister on 19 April 2021 on changing the law in respect of online streaming of recorded music.
Answered by Caroline Dinenage
The Government recognises that it is important that artists are fairly remunerated for their work. We are aware of the concerns that have been raised recently with regards to musicians’ incomes, including the open letter to the Prime Minister from artists and songwriters.
We welcome the DCMS Select Committee inquiry looking at the economics of music streaming. This is an important debate for the music sector. Once the Select Committee publishes its recommendations from the inquiry, the Government will review and respond in due course. We will be happy to consider any meeting requests from interested stakeholders as appropriate.
We continue to encourage dialogue between music creators, record labels, and streaming services as they seek to resolve the challenges in this area.
Robust evidence is vital. This is why the Government has funded a 12-month industry-led research project investigating the flow of money from streaming to creators which is due to report this summer.
Asked by: Kevin Brennan (Labour - Cardiff West)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent representations he has received on changing the law to ensure greater earnings for artists and composers when recorded music is streamed online.
Answered by Caroline Dinenage
The Government recognises that it is important that artists are fairly remunerated for their work. We welcome the DCMS Select Committee inquiry looking at the economics of music streaming. This is an important debate for the music sector. Once the Select Committee publishes its recommendations from the inquiry, the Government will review and respond in due course.
We have received a number of representations relating to the issue of artist remuneration in music streaming, including an open letter from artists and composers.
Asked by: Kevin Brennan (Labour - Cardiff West)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if he will publish a strategy to re-open the live events sector as covid-19 lockdown restrictions are eased.
Answered by Caroline Dinenage
The ‘COVID-19 Response - Spring 2021’ announced by the Prime Minister on the 22 February provides a roadmap out of the current lockdown in England, including for live events.
The design of the roadmap has been informed by the latest scientific evidence and seeks a balance between our key social and economic priorities, whilst preserving the health and safety of the country. The Government aims to allow spectators to attend some large events, including live music events, from Step 3 (17 May at the earliest), subject to a cap on attendance and local authority approval.
Events where social distancing is unlikely to be possible, for example music festivals where audiences are standing rather than seated, will not be permitted to go ahead until step 4, subject to the findings from the Events Research Programme. This Programme will explore how large events can return with reduced social distancing requirements.
Whilst dates remain conditional, we know that the sector has been calling for “no earlier than” dates and the roadmap provides these at 5 week intervals between each step. This is to allow the government and health experts time to assess the impact of the previous step and provide a week’s notice before changes occur.
Asked by: Kevin Brennan (Labour - Cardiff West)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent assessment he has made of the potential (a) economic and (b) cultural merits of introducing a Government-backed insurance underwriting scheme for live music events.
Answered by Caroline Dinenage
We are aware of the concerns which have been raised about the challenge of securing indemnity for live events.
Understandably, the bar for considering Government intervention is set extremely high. Given the high costs involved in setting up a scheme we need to make sure it is the most effective use of funds at a time when we are looking at how best to support the sector.
The evidence of market failure must clearly demonstrate that such a scheme is the only barrier to staging events. At the moment, progress with the vaccine rollout and beating the virus is crucial in achieving the next stages for large events as set out in the roadmap. As such, HM Treasury does not believe that now is the right time for an insurance intervention.
We are working closely with the sector to determine the appropriate and most effective response within the public health context.
Asked by: Kevin Brennan (Labour - Cardiff West)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent stakeholder representations he has received on establishing a UK Creators Council as a roundtable to improve dialogue between the Government and representatives of the creative workforce.
Answered by Caroline Dinenage
We have not received any recent representations from stakeholders regarding the proposal of a UK Creator’s Council.
Industry and Government engage regularly with a wide range of leading experts in the creative industries through the Creative Industries Council (CIC), a forum for Government and Industry to convene and share information, discuss concerns and opportunities and muster action. The CIC is formed of a broad range of representative bodies across the sub-sectors of the creative industries.
As outlined in our previous response to the DCMS Select Committee response where this proposal was raised, we would need clear and robust evidence from the sector as to the purpose of a Creator’s Council and why it would be different from the existing CIC.
Asked by: Kevin Brennan (Labour - Cardiff West)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for the Home Department on negotiating a mutual 90-day work permit exemption with European Union countries for performers.
Answered by Oliver Dowden - Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
The Government recognises the importance of touring for UK musicians and other creative professionals. We acknowledge that there will be some additional processes for those in creative industries working across the EU now that the transition period has come to an end. However, our agreement with the EU contains Transparency and Procedural Facilitation measures that will help ensure visa processes are as prompt and smooth as possible.
During our negotiations with the EU, the UK proposed measures, reflecting the views of the music industry itself, that would have allowed musicians to travel and perform in the UK and the EU more easily, without needing work-permits. Specifically, we proposed to capture the work done by musicians, artists and entertainers, and their accompanying staff through the list of permitted activities for short-term business visitors.
In practice this would have delivered an outcome that is closer to the UK’s approach to incoming musicians, artists and entertainers from non-visa national countries, such as EU Member States and the US, who can come to perform in the UK without requiring a visa. Unfortunately, these proposals were repeatedly rejected by the EU.
The EU did not propose and wouldn’t accept a tailored deal for musicians, artists and their support staff to tour across the EU and UK.
Going forward, we will continue our close dialogue with the creative and cultural sectors to ensure that they have the support they need to thrive.The Government recognises the importance of touring for UK musicians and other creative professionals, and has engaged extensively with the creative industries and arts sector since the announcement of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement to ensure they are aware of the new requirements.
Asked by: Kevin Brennan (Labour - Cardiff West)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the comments of the Parliamentary under Secretary of State for his Department on Twitter on 10 January 2020, if the Government will publish details of (a) the more ambitious agreement with the EU on the temporary movement of business travellers covering musicians and others and (b) all UK proposals on movement of business travellers that were rejected during negotiations on the UK's Future Relationship with the EU.
Answered by Oliver Dowden - Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
The Government recognises the importance of touring for UK musicians and other creative professionals. We acknowledge that there will be some additional processes for those in creative industries working across the EU now that the transition period has come to an end. However, our agreement with the EU contains Transparency and Procedural Facilitation measures that will help ensure visa processes are as prompt and smooth as possible.
During our negotiations with the EU, the UK proposed measures, reflecting the views of the music industry itself, that would have allowed musicians to travel and perform in the UK and the EU more easily, without needing work-permits. Specifically, we proposed to capture the work done by musicians, artists and entertainers, and their accompanying staff through the list of permitted activities for short-term business visitors.
In practice this would have delivered an outcome that is closer to the UK’s approach to incoming musicians, artists and entertainers from non-visa national countries, such as EU Member States and the US, who can come to perform in the UK without requiring a visa. Unfortunately, these proposals were repeatedly rejected by the EU.
The EU did not propose and wouldn’t accept a tailored deal for musicians, artists and their support staff to tour across the EU and UK.
Going forward, we will continue our close dialogue with the creative and cultural sectors to ensure that they have the support they need to thrive.The Government recognises the importance of touring for UK musicians and other creative professionals, and has engaged extensively with the creative industries and arts sector since the announcement of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement to ensure they are aware of the new requirements.
Asked by: Kevin Brennan (Labour - Cardiff West)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, when he intends to publish his response to his Department's consultation on decriminalising TV licence evasion, which closed in April 2020.
Answered by John Whittingdale
The consultation closed in April this year after receiving over 150,000 responses.
The government has been listening carefully to those that have responded before setting out our next steps.
The government intends to publish its response to the consultation shortly.
Asked by: Kevin Brennan (Labour - Cardiff West)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of trends in the level of domestic sports men and women being tested for the use of illegal performance enhancing drugs during the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
UK Anti-Doping (UKAD) releases its testing figures on a quarterly basis. UKAD’s latest quarterly report covering July to September 2020 shows 1,406 tests were conducted. This represents an increase from the 126 tests conducted in the period before, covering April to June 2020. The drop in testing during this period was due to UKAD’s decision in March 2020 to significantly reduce its testing programme due to the pause in competitive sport caused by Covid-19.
UKAD has been working closely with medical experts to ensure new testing processes comply with the highest standards of safety and sport-specific considerations in light of Covid-19. UKAD has developed a protocol for its Doping Control Personnel to follow to ensure the safety of its testers and those being tested. This procedure is in line with the World Anti-Doping Agency’s guidance for resuming testing, and is fully outlined on UKAD’s website.