(Bristol West) (Lab)
8. What assessment her Department has made of the effect of the
UK leaving the EU on the UK’s creative, digital and media
industries in the last three months. [R] [912543]
(Lewisham West and Penge)
(Lab)
14. What recent assessment she has made of the effect of the UK
leaving the EU on the UK’s creative industries. [912549]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Digital, Culture,
Media and Sport ()
The UK’s creative, digital and media industries are a global
success story. Our creative industries continue to outperform the
wider economy: their value went up from £95 billion in 2016 to
£102 billion in 2017. As Europe’s leading tech hub, we generate
more billion-dollar tech businesses than any other country in
Europe. Over the past three years, we have maintained a dialogue
with the creative industries on EU exit. I recognise that the
movement of people and goods are among their concerns, but the UK
is a global leader in these sectors, and our decision to leave
the EU will not change that.
I refer the House to my entry in the Register of Members’
Financial Interests.
Will the Minister guarantee that Musicians and others in the
creative industries, with their roadies and their techies, will
be able to work across the EU as they do now—as they need to do
to make a living—if we leave with or without an agreement, taking
their instruments, their kit and their merchandise in a system
that works across borders without carnets or additional costs?
We are talking to the industry about exactly those concerns. I
have already had some conversations along these lines, as has the
Secretary of State, who met UK Music earlier this week. It is
true that, when the UK leaves the EU on 31 October, free movement
as it currently stands will end. In the event of a no-deal exit,
creative professionals will need to check whether they need a
visa or a work permit for the EU country that they are visiting.
I am very optimistic that we will get a deal, and I would
encourage the hon. Lady to vote for it when she has the
opportunity to do so.
The Musicians Union states that most UK Musicians rely on
performing and touring in the EU to make a living, so a bad deal
or a no-deal Brexit will jeopardise their careers. I have
listened to what the Minister has had to say, but we are almost
at Brexit date. What discussions has her Department had with the
Home Office about creating a musician’s passport that is
inexpensive, lasts for a minimum of two years, and would do away
with the need otherwise for permits, permissions and so on, which
are unsustainable for the music industry?
I very much appreciate the hon. Lady’s concerns and those of the
industry, as I have already said. The Secretary of State, in
fact, spoke to the Musicians Union earlier this week. We are
acutely mindful of the concerns that exist, but I will say yet
again that the best way through this is to have a deal and, when
there is the opportunity to vote for one, I encourage her to
please do so.
(Bromley and Chislehurst)
(Con)
I refer to my entry in the Register of Members’ Financial
Interests.
I agree with my hon. Friend about the importance of a deal, but
she will recognise that the concerns of the Incorporated Society
of Musicians are legitimate and need to be addressed. Will she
also speak to those who run our major opera companies? Britain is
a world leader in this regard and the ability to fly in
replacements—often from the EU—at the last minute for roles,
which, often, very few people can actually sing, is very
important to our international status in this art form.
As my hon. Friend will know, I am new to this post, but I very
much look forward to talking to representatives from the opera
sector and making sure that we continue to support this hugely
successful part of our economy as we leave the European Union.
