Leaving the EU: Touring
Creative Workers
(Stockton North) (Lab)
What recent steps have the Government taken to fix the red tape
issues for touring creative workers caused by Britain leaving the
EU.
The Minister for Digital and Culture ()
We are working flat out with the industry to support creative
workers to tour the EU, and we have a dedicated DCMS-led working
group to achieve that. Our priorities are to provide clarity for
artists on any rules, to work bilaterally with other EU nations
to ensure that the new processes are as easy and straightforward
as possible, and to try to secure transitional funding support.
We are extremely proud of our Stockton International Riverside
Festival, which, as well as attracting street acts from across
the world, commissions its own work to showcase what our own
talented people can do. Now those same people face those barriers
of fees and all other manner of problems—and they are still
barriers today—if they want to take their work into the EU. That
is due to the Government adopting that attitude of “it’ll be
alright on the night”. Well, it will not. I heard what the
Minister said, but what guarantees will she give artists from
Stockton and the rest of the country that the Government will
sort out the travel problems soon and that we can share our art
and culture with the world?
As I have already explained, we have been working non-stop since
the transition period finished to make sure that we were working
through those issues. We have confirmed that portable musical
instruments do not require carnets. We have confirmed that
touring artists will not be double-charged social security
contributions, and we have published new guidance for touring to
other EU nations. Through bilateral discussions, which have been
taking place at official level between me and the Secretary of
State and our opposite numbers in the EU, we have established
that at least 17 member states allow some visa or work
permit-free touring activities, and we are continuing to do that
work on a daily basis.
