(Northampton South)
(Con)
7. What steps her Department is taking to support the UK’s creative
industries in future trade negotiations after the UK leaves the EU.
[900206]
The Minister for Sport, Media and Creative Industries ()
The creative industries are one of the leading lights of our
economy, outpacing growth by two to one and employment growth by
three to one. All our sectors, including films, television,
music, fashion, publishing, design and advertising, are globally
renowned for their creative excellence. We are working closely
with industry representatives on a range of issues to ensure
their continued success in a post-Brexit world.
The United Kingdom exports more books and journals than any other
country in the world, and, according to the Publishers
Association, the UK generates £3.6 billion in export revenue
every year. Will the Minister assure the publishing industry that
it will be remembered and championed as new free trade agreements
are negotiated around the world?
I know that my hon. Friend chairs the all-party parliamentary
group on publishing, and he brings valuable experience to the
House because his career was in that field before he entered it.
The publishing industry is a highly valued contributor to our
creative economy, here and abroad. The Publishers Association is
a key member of the Government’s export trade advisory group, and
we will continue to work closely with it as trade negotiations
progress.
(Batley and Spen)
(Lab/Co-op)
For the last three decades I have served my time as an actor in
the medical shows “Casualty”, “Holby City” and “Doctors”, but
breaking my ankle the day before my first DCMS outing is a plot
point too far—so nobody say “Break a leg”, please!
The creative industries are set to lose more than £40 million per
year in EU funding. Stakeholders have told me that they are
holding off scheduling tours after 2020 because they fear costly
delays and cancellations caused by the complicated visa system.
What steps is the Department taking to ensure that our creative
industries can flourish across Europe? Is it planning to
introduce creative visas and passports that will recognise their
unique situation?
I welcome the hon. Lady to her position, and congratulate her on
her stoicism in making it into the Chamber today. She stole my
line about breaking a leg. However, I am pleased to note that the
administration of discipline by the Labour Whips Office has not
broken down since the election.
I can assure the hon. Lady that the free movement of people will
end when we leave the EU, as is set out in the White Paper
published in December. We will instead have a new immigration
system based on skills, not nationality. We have made it clear
that we will protect the rights of EU citizens in the UK after we
leave. We have commissioned advice from the Migration Advisory
Committee on various issues including salary thresholds, and we
will be on top of this process over the course of the year.
