Asked by
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have (1) to
reduce the red tape, and (2) to improve access, for artists and
musicians based in the United Kingdom seeking to work in Europe.
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for
Digital, Culture, Media and Sport () (Con)
My Lords, the Government want our creative and cultural
industries to be able to tour abroad easily. We have moved at
pace to provide clarity. This includes publishing traveller
summaries for individual member states and sector-specific
landing pages to make relevant guidance easily accessible on
GOV.UK. Nineteen member states have confirmed that they allow
some visa-free and permit-free short-term tours, and we are
actively encouraging the remaining member states to match the
UK’s generous rules.
(Non-Afl)
My Lords, the lack of any deal for the creative industries in the
Brexit negotiations has caused considerable anger, especially for
the many thousands of British musicians who rely on touring
Europe for a large part of their income. What work has been done
specifically with the eight EU member states that the Government
identified earlier in the summer that will require musicians to
use visa and work permits to perform? Does the noble Baroness
agree that the UK risks losing its dominant position in the
European live music market if this situation remains unresolved?
(Con)
Formal approaches have been made by officials and DCMS to the
eight states to which the noble Baroness refers. Ministers are
also working closely with the sector to amplify each other’s
lobbying efforts. I cannot accept her final assertion that we
will lose our place in the world, given the talent of our artists
and the work that we are carrying out.
(Lab)
My Lords, in addition to the member states that do not allow
visa-free touring for UK musicians and performers, there are
numerous complications to access the countries that allow it.
With more travel now taking place as Covid restrictions lift,
will there be a transition fund to support our live entertainment
sector similar to that provided to the fishing industry? Can the
Minister indicate what assessment has been made of the
implications for our UK music and performance sector resulting
from the restrictive arrangements for touring in the EU?
(Con)
The noble Baroness is right to say that the situation is more
complex than previously and that is why we remain disappointed
that our initial ambitious approach was not accepted by the EU.
She will be aware that we have given a total sum approaching £2
billion to support our creative sector during the pandemic. We
are looking at a range of issues for further support and
approaches, including proposals for a creative export office.
(LD)
I declare my interest as chair of the trustees of the Parliament
choir. Can the Minister distinguish between talks and
negotiations? Talks are what are referred to in the government
statement as speaking to countries, including clarifying what
happens in the EU withdrawal agreement. However, negotiation is
needed here to reduce the red tape and create a frictionless
trade for those parts of our economy that are so strong in
exporting our artistic examples. How many countries have the UK
Government engaged with in negotiation, with the aim of removing
red tape such as cabotage, carnets and permits currently
strangling our industry?
(Con)
I am not sure whether I have the exact precision of the noble
Lord’s use of language but we have set out that we now have clear
guidance around short-term touring with 19 member states.
However, we are also focused on the outcomes and achieving ease
of movement for our artists, including existing successes such as
clarifying, for example, that touring artists and support staff
will not be double charged for social security contributions.
(Con)
My Lords, have not the Proms wonderfully illustrated this summer
what an international language music is? Can we make it plain
that we in this country are prepared to admit any European
musicians, just as we welcomed Haydn and Mozart in the 18th
century?
(Con)
My noble friend is absolutely right and already we have
announced, for the reasons he set out, generous criteria for
European musicians performing here.
(CB)
My Lords, does the Minister share the frustration that many in
this House feel at not getting from the Government any estimate
of the damage being done by the failure to negotiate a deal at
the time we left the European Union? If she does, can she give us
some figures, first, for the number of British musicians, artists
and others who were able to travel unimpeded in 2019 and,
secondly, for those who have been able to travel in 2021? Perhaps
I may discourage reference to Covid because I have just spent
some time in France, where its festivals were going at pace.
(Con)
I accept the noble Lord’s reservation about referring to Covid
but the most important reason for the damage done in the past 12
months has been Covid. As for bands, I am not sure about the
noble Lord’s musical tastes but I am informed that bands such as
Jungle and Jake Bugg are already booking European tours;
festivals are starting; we are both emerging; and established
bands will be performing in, for example, Croatia and Spain.
(LD)
[V]
My Lords, the creative arts sector was completely omitted from
the EU trade deal, despite being the UK’s largest sector after
financial services. The Government should urgently be fixing this
gaping hole in their trade agreement. Instead, they are
overselling their meaningless mitigations that do little to
reduce the catastrophic impact on British performers and
companies. Can the Minister please explain why the Government are
still painting the signs while the wheels are coming off?
(Con)
The Government are doing anything but painting the signs and I
should like to put on record our thanks to our officials who have
been working tirelessly to sort these issues out.
(Con)
My Lords, the Society of London Theatre estimates that the live
entertainment sector was worth more than £11 billion in gross
value-added—four times as valuable as the US market for British
artists. Given that the sector faces such significant new
operational and financial burdens as a result of the trade and
co-operation agreement, will my noble friend consider providing
extra support, particularly for the smaller and emerging artists
who are so disproportionately disadvantaged by the different red
tape and work permit requirements that each country imposes?
(Con)
As my noble friend will have heard, we have already given
unprecedented support approaching £2 billion to the sector. We
are working tirelessly to make sure that the practical advice
works for the sector and we thank it for its co-operation and
feedback on that. We are exploring the options for a creative
export office.
(CB)
My Lords, does the Minister agree that it is clear from industry
that any one of a number of concerns, whether visas, permits,
carnets, CITES or cabotage, may by themselves make touring
impossible through costs, red tape or, in the case of cabotage,
the sheer impracticalities involved, as things stand? The
department’s August announcement was misleading. This matter
urgently needs to be sorted out through further discussions with
the EU.
(Con)
We are keen and our aim is to make touring completely accessible
once more to all artists who wish to tour. Our belief is that the
best way to do that is through bilateral agreements with
individual member states, which is what we are doing.
(GP)
My Lords, I follow on from the questions of the noble Lord,
, and the
noble Earl, . The noble
Lord, , asked
about talks and negotiations. I am not going to draw a line
between them but will pick up on the point about cabotage. Are
any active talks or negotiations—however they are described—going
on, on either a bilateral or an EU-wide basis, to deal with the
issue of cabotage?
(Con)
The noble Baroness will be aware that during our negotiations
with the EU we pressed for a special derogation from the cabotage
restrictions. We are working closely on the issue with the
Department for Transport, which recently issued a call for
evidence. We are working with the department and the sector to
resolve the issue.
