Asked by: Vince Cable (Liberal Democrat - Twickenham)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions his Department has had with the hospitality sector on supporting working spaces within hotels and cafes.
Answered by Michael Ellis
We work with a wide range of stakeholders across the tourism and hospitality sector across a range of issues, however this has not been raised with us. The provision of working spaces, or co-working spaces, is a business decision which is up to individuals to implement.
Asked by: Vince Cable (Liberal Democrat - Twickenham)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, when he last met with Historic Royal Palaces to discuss the effect of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency’s proposals for older UK passenger boats on tourism and visitors at Hampton Court Palace.
Answered by Michael Ellis
Ministers and officials have regular discussions with their counterparts at Historic Royal Palaces concerning a wide range of issues. There have been no conversations specifically regarding the Maritime and Coastguard Agency’s proposals.
Asked by: Vince Cable (Liberal Democrat - Twickenham)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what representations he has received from the racing industry on potential disruption to race meetings as a result of an incompatibility of quarantine rules between the UK, Ireland and France in the event of the UK leaving the EU without a deal.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Government maintains regular contact with the equine industry, including the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) and the Thoroughbred Breeders Association, to discuss the challenges and opportunities facing the racing industry when the UK leaves the EU.
The rules for importing equines on day one in the event of no deal will remain the same in principle, so we do not anticipate that racing or competition will be significantly adversely affected. However in the event of no deal, the UK will no longer be part of the Tripartite Agreement (TPA), which is a derogation of EU law and allows streamlined movement of some horses between Ireland, France and the UK. The industry is aware of this potential change and has increased their preparations in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal.
The EU is set to introduce ‘Smarter Rules for Safer Food’ in April 2021. This will streamline animal movement rules and may include the replacement of the TPA. The equine industries of France, Ireland and the UK, have proposed to the European Commission that any replacement for the TPA introduced in 2021 be extended to cover equines of a high health status from third countries. The Government is supporting this proposal, as it would allow the UK to retain the benefits of the TPA once we leave the EU. Governments of France and Ireland are also supportive.
Asked by: Vince Cable (Liberal Democrat - Twickenham)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how much of the £56 million allocated to his Department for Brexit preparations in 2018-19 and 2019-20 has been allocated to preparing for the UK leaving the EU without a deal.
Answered by Margot James
DCMS has been allocated £26.2m of funding for the full year 2018/19, which is being paid out in Supplementary Estimates 18/19.
As at the end of December, our actual spend to date is £20.1m. Further spend to the end of March 2019 is expected to arise from staff, accommodation, IT, and legal costs, to meet the 2018-19 allocation.
Asked by: Vince Cable (Liberal Democrat - Twickenham)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what representations she has received from the British creative industries on potential benefits of continued membership of the EU Digital Single Market when the UK leaves the EU.
Answered by Matt Hancock
Since the 2016 referendum, the Government has carried out extensive and diverse engagement with hundreds of businesses of all sizes across the UK on the potential implications of our withdrawal from the EU, alongside extensive wider analysis and engagement.
The Creative Industries are one of the UK’s greatest success stories and this Government is determined to ensure their continued growth and success. We have received a range of representations from the creative industries on the impacts and opportunities for the sector following the UK's decision to the leave the EU, including continued membership of the Digital Single Market (DSM).
Asked by: Vince Cable (Liberal Democrat - Twickenham)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential benefits of continued membership of the EU Digital Single Market when the UK leaves the EU.
Answered by Matt Hancock
We are undertaking a comprehensive programme of analytical work to assess, across a range of scenarios, the economic impacts of exiting the European Union. The Government is engaging with businesses in every sector and region of the UK economy in order to understand the potential challenges and opportunities over the coming months and years.