Extract from DCMS
topical questions
(Leeds North West)
(Lab/Co-op): The Government recently introduced a dual
registration scheme to support touring trucks, because touring
was completely forgotten during the Brexit negotiations. Although
we do not have a Minister for this area, can somebody tell me how
orchestras that own their own vehicles and do not benefit from
the scheme for small-scale operators will be able to operate in
this area, helping our creative industries?
The Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
( ): A huge amount of work
has gone into touring, as the hon. Gentleman knows. I am sure
that he will be delighted with the recent announcement from
Greece that it will, along with Spain and others, open up and
allow our musicians and
artisans to tour across the EU. Negotiations are taking place on
a daily basis and problems are being resolved as we move forward.
Question for short
debate (Lords) on Musicians and Creative Professionals:
Working in the European Union
Asked by
The
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to
improve the ability of musicians and other
creative professionals from the United Kingdom to work and tour
in the European Union.
The (CB)
My Lords, I am grateful for this opportunity to raise the
concerns of creative professionals on touring and working in
Europe. I thank the Government for extending this debate to an
hour and a half. I am grateful for the briefings from the
Incorporated Society of musicians UK Music,
Carry on Touring, LIVE, the Association of British Orchestras,
T&S Immigration Services, the Contemporary Visual Arts
Network and the House of Lords Library. I am pleased that we will
have contributions to this debate from across the Committee.
In practical terms, as the Incorporated Society of musicians and others
have been at pains to point out, this is, above all, about trade.
As such, it is something we should all be concerned with. In
pre-pandemic 2019, music alone was worth £5.8 billion, almost
five times as much as the fishing industry at £1.4 billion—which
is also, one has to say, now sadly suffering the effects of
Brexit. Live music is a key aspect of music, making bands’
reputations abroad and stimulating sales. According to the
Featured Artists Coalition, in 2019 UK acts played four times as
many gigs in the EU as in the US.
It is great to have live music and the arts more generally back
and largely up and running on our own shores, with Glastonbury,
the Stones, Adele, the Proms this month and much more to look
forward to. While I suspect that most of the focus today will be
on music, concerns about working in Europe are being felt across
the creative industries. I will touch on the visual arts, which
is my own background. I ask therefore that the Minister looks
carefully at the new Arts Council-funded report, International
Connections, produced by a-n and the Contemporary Visual Arts
Network, which makes some important recommendations. I ask him to
look carefully as well at the forthcoming All-Party Parliamentary
Group on Music report, Let the Music Move, addressing similar
concerns for the music industry. It would be excellent if the
Minister could attend its launch in Parliament, on 19 July.
The trade and co-operation agreement was a no-deal for services,
including the arts and creative industries. It has been
imperative from the outset that the Government take mitigating
action to drastically improve the situation for the arts in the
face of this no deal, but the reality is that 18 months have
passed and little of substance has been achieved.
Moreover, the Government have tried to paint a picture that is
far better than reality. LIVE says it remains
“deeply concerned about the impact of Brexit on the UK’s live
music industry.”
We are already now hearing the practical problems musicians are having,
such as that of the band White Lies, which in April had to cancel
a booking in Paris because its equipment was still waiting to
clear customs in the UK. The Government must stop harking back to
whatever they say was offered to the EU; that is history. Through
whatever mechanisms are available, and I know that other noble
Lords will talk about that in more detail, the UK needs to
reapproach the EU to effect those changes that are urgently
required. As TCA negotiator, the noble Lord, , himself has admitted that the
Government have been too purist in their approach. We need a
rethink and a reset. It is, after all, the future of our
performing arts and more that is at stake.
Cabotage remains one of the most significant problems. The
industry is grateful for the dual registration fix, but it is
only a partial fix and does not address operation under an own
account. Furthermore, it shifts this specialist haulage industry
to Europe, which, as UK Music points out, will in the longer term
cost this country business and jobs.
Most immediately, there remains a massive problem for those
unable to use the dual registration services. The Association of
British Orchestras says the situation is disastrous for
orchestras, many of which run their own purpose-built vehicles.
To give one example, the truck owned by the City of Birmingham
Symphony Orchestra, costing £250,000, purchased partly through an
Arts Council grant, will be a total waste of money if we do not
negotiate a cabotage exemption with the EU. This is urgent. The
ABO proposed that a solution for own-account operators might be
presented at a forthcoming UK-EU Specialised Committee on Road
Transport meeting. Will the Government act?
It is urgent too that we negotiate a visa waiver agreement, which
a cabotage agreement could also be part of. Visa and work permit
regulations within Europe are complicated. We have not agreed a
single bilateral agreement with the EU, although two countries,
Spain and Greece, have relaxed their visa rules for the UK, which
I understand merely brings the UK in line with US acts who have
toured those countries visa-free for decades.
ISM last year proposed a bespoke visa waiver agreement, which was
shown to government officials. Legal advice confirmed that such a
proposal was legally workable without being incompatible with the
UK’s ability to take back control of its borders; none of this
was questioned by the Government. But the Government, for reasons
known only to themselves, have not followed up this constructive
proposal, which is backed across the board by the music industry.
Again, urgent action is required.
The problems presented by carnets and CITES are likewise problems
of both cost and red tape. There are two groups who will be most
affected here: on the one hand, orchestras, for which costs may
spiral; on the other, those starting out, including bands and
individual musicians who will not
have the resources of artists such as Elton John and Ed Sheeran
to carry these extra significant burdens. Again, we have to
negotiate with the EU a cultural exemption to the cost of ATA
carnets and CITES as well. On the question of CITES, I ask the
Minister what news he has over whether St Pancras will become a
CITES designated point of exit. Eurostar is a hugely important
route. Again, a sense of urgency is required.
ISM has also drawn my attention to a couple of recent
developments around CITES that will emerge at CITES COP 19, which
I hope the Minister is also aware of. ISM supports the new
proposals from the US music industry to ease and provide
exemptions from CITES permits. Will the Government support those
proposals? Will the Government oppose the proposals from Brazil
for a new designation of Pernambuco, the wood used in making
bows, which, while well-intentioned, would significantly and
detrimentally interfere in the legal trade in bows? This is
important.
In the debate on dual registration in Grand Committee on 13 June,
the noble Baroness, Lady Randerson, rightly raised concerns about
merchandise, the importance of which can be too easily
underestimated. UK Music notes that the band Squid cancelled
dates in Spain because of the costs both of carnets and of the
movement of merchandise between the UK and the EU. Another band
has stated that such costs, including the requirement to VAT
register, meant that it missed out on £2,500-worth of merchandise
on its last tour of France. These are significant losses. Will
the Minister look at what is yet another make-or-break worry
for musicians
I will mention briefly traffic in the other direction. A concern
that Steve Richard of T&S Immigration Services raises is that
of the mishandling of incoming bands by UK border staff,
including, for example, them being given wrong information about
passport stamps and being sent through e-gates, making the tour
technically illegal. These are common occurrences. There are now
concerns about adequate staffing levels, but the better training
of UK border and other airport staff to deal with musicians and crew is
required.
The concerns of visual artists exhibiting work in Europe post
Brexit has, up to now, been relatively overlooked, yet there
exists the same confusion and paucity of information as afflicts
others in the creative industries. Shipping and other costs, red
tape and the sheer complexities now involved have already this
year been responsible for artists cancelling their participation
in exhibitions in Europe, as I heard this week at a Zoom event
organised by Arts Infopoint. International Connections recommends
better representation for the visual arts, including on the TCA
domestic advisory group, of which LIVE and UK Music are already
members. The report also recommends the appointment of a
freelance commissioner, which would allow further representation
for arts and creative workers.
I have not by any means covered all the many concerns that the
music sector is raising, let alone those of other creative
industries. But perhaps the most disturbing is the extent to
which the pipeline of talent will be affected by the curtailment
not just of opportunities for young artists touring but
opportunities for jobs, such as for opera singers, dancers and
many others who are now shut out of work in Europe because they
do not possess an EU passport.
As the pandemic, we hope, recedes, we have reached a point at
which we are taking greater stock of the effects of Brexit.
Nevertheless, the good sense of what the industry is now asking
for speaks for itself. What is needed now from the Government is
a much greater urgency in addressing these concerns and
ultimately finding solutions.
1.11pm
(Con)
My Lords, I am delighted to follow the noble Earl. I am sure that
I speak on behalf of everyone in the Moses Room when I thank him
for presenting this case so clearly and firmly and for straying
beyond music, because this is not a problem that is limited to
music and musicians
When I am travelling and I am asked what my nationality is, that
is easy: it is British. What is my identity? It is English. But
what is my civilization? It is European. We are all part of the
great continent of Europe and nothing that was said or done on 23
June 2016 alters that fact. I am not going to make a long,
rambling speech saying that we should put the clock back to 22
June, tempting as that would be, but we have to have a
constructive and proper relationship with the other nations of
the European Union and with those nations of Europe that are not
members of the EU.
This is a challenge to the new Government. We have been going
through a turbulent time in recent months and particularly in
recent days. It is important that we grasp the opportunity of a
new beginning and try very hard indeed to urge whoever has
responsibility in the new Government to do so. I will be entirely
delighted if the Minister for the Arts remains in his present
position, but this morning when I asked another Minister in the
Chamber about a caretaker Prime Minister and all the rest of it,
I was told that that was above his pay grade. The fact is that we
are moving towards a new Government. There is an opportunity to
restore integrity in public life—that absolutely essential
quality that has been more notable by its absence than its
presence at the highest level in recent months and years.
I hope that we will try to have a constructive and productive
relationship with our friends—and they should always be our
friends—and allies in the European Union and the rest of the
continent. We have had the most terrible reminder in the past
five months of how fragile peace is and how important and fragile
democracy is. Every day that the Ukraine war carries on should
indicate to all of us what is at risk.
There is no more civilising influence than music. I have to
confess that I am not a Glastonbury fan—it is not quite my
scene—but I love listening to the Berlin Philharmonic. We have to
realise that we are dealing with the international language here.
Whatever the barrier between someone who speaks German and
someone who does not, music transcends and overcomes it. It makes
us feel at one.
I often think of those glorious days in the 18th century when
Handel was resident in London—an internationalist if ever there
was one—when Haydn came here, as one of the
greatest musicians of his time,
and when Mozart played here. They were inspired when they were
here and we have had those who have gone elsewhere and continue
to go. It is a source of grief to me to think that people such as
my dear friend Tasmin Little, who has now put down her bow as a
professional soloist, pleaded with me from 2016 onwards, saying,
“This is going to be very damaging to those of us who
are musicians and
internationalists.”
Therefore, my message to the Minister today is to please do what
you can to persuade your colleagues in government to grasp the
opportunity that a new beginning brings. Talk, as equals and as
friends, with those who control the levers of power throughout
the European continent. There should be no impediment to a
musician, orchestra or band going to play in any European country
or coming from any European country to play here. I am grateful
to the noble Earl and I hope that this can be part of a new
beginning.
1.17pm
(Lab)
My Lords, I thank the noble Earl and congratulate him on securing
the debate. It is very timely, for a reason that I will come on
to. It is a pleasure to follow the noble Lord, Lord Cormack—I am
almost tempted to say that it is always a pleasure to follow the
noble Lord, , because it has occurred once
or twice so far. When I heard the reference to Handel, I thought,
“Well, Handel did not need a visa to come here.”
I also ought to say what a pleasure it is to see a Minister still
at the Dispatch Box. In fact, there are two Ministers here today.
The subject of today’s debate is music and it is the second time
in two hours—I will be honest about this—that the consequential
damage of the vote in 2016 is being brought to your Lordships’
attention. Less than two hours ago, a Question was raised in the
House about Horizon Europe, the co-operation between scientists
here and around Europe, and the damage being done. Here we are
talking about the damage to musicians of not
being able to tour in Europe as easily as was the case. Whatever
else noble Lords may feel, I do not think that anybody voted on
23 June 2016 to inflict the type of damage that is being
inflicted on British science or music, which are being sacrificed
on the altar of the Northern Ireland protocol. Of course, music
in particular is truly international.
I am indebted to the ISM and the Library for their briefings,
which all noble Lords will have received. I always find the
Library briefings helpful. As the noble Earl said, we are talking
about an industry that is worth nearly £6 billion in economic
terms.
I should declare an interest, which is what propelled me to take
part in today’s debate. I am grateful to the government side for
increasing the length of the debate, because I saw that I would
have only two minutes—well, my two minutes are already up. I am
grateful for a little more time. The point I want to bring to
your Lordships’ attention in this debate—I hope the Minister will
feel able to say something about it in reply—is the hugely
damaging effect on young musicians The interest
I have to declare is that I have two children. As they grew up,
from the age of five they learned to play musical instruments—my
daughter Emily the violin and my son Daniel the cello. I do not
think they can remember life without playing musical instruments.
In the course of growing up, they were members of colleges of
music but also a youth orchestra, which I hope I am allowed to
name: the Stoneleigh Youth Orchestra, conducted by Adrian Brown
with such distinction for so many years. Growing up, they went on
tours to Poland, Germany, Italy, Spain, Slovenia and Belgium. A
lot of work goes into organising such tours. These are not
professional orchestras, and people have to do it voluntarily.
Money and time are spent going out to reconnoitre the best place
to go. You can imagine all the work involved in enabling a youth
orchestra to go on tour, including a huge great bus and space for
the instruments.
I understand from one of our briefings that on one occasion
two musicians were fined
because there was no proof, said the French, that their
instruments belonged to them, and they said that they might be
importing their instruments into another country, possibly for
resale. It is absurd. As I said, the plight of youth orchestras
should be taken very seriously.
I hope I am allowed to say this, but the other day I saw the
noble Baroness the Minister at the entrance. If I am right, she
had her own child with her. I thought here is someone who, as he
grows up—if it is he—
(Con)
She.
(Lab)
As she grows up, I hope she will learn to play music and get the
benefit of that. There are incalculable benefits from going on
tour in Europe.
My time is up now. Many of the other things I planned to say have
already been covered, and no doubt will be by others, but this is
about the future. I think the noble Earl referred to the pipeline
of the future, and that is the point I want to bring to your
Lordships’ attention today. It matters just as much for the
future of music and musicians touring as
for established orchestras today.
1.22pm
(LD)
My Lords, I follow on from the noble Viscount, who talked about
youth music. First, I declare my interest: I am the chair of
trustees of the Parliament Choir, which will be touring in Europe
in the next year, along with professional musicians and the
outstanding Southbank Sinfonia, one of the primary postgraduate
training orchestras in the world, based around the corner here in
St John’s Smith Square. So there is an interest in this
Parliament in getting this issue correct, and it is very
important for us all.
I am grateful to the noble Earl, , for introducing the debate.
We heard from him that this is a major industry for this country,
worth £5.8 billion and employing more than 200,000 people. It is
worth more than fisheries and steel combined and now faces issues
on the right to travel and work across the European Union. Of
course, it is cabotage, work permits, carnets and whatever else
that are the difficulties. These permit difficulties are the main
source of problems, which are costly and lengthy and can differ
from country to country. The Incorporated Society
of musicians has given an
example of a five-piece act. The performers were unable to carry
their instruments with them, and to play a concert in Greece
would have meant an additional £700 per person to perform. To
recover that from a performance is obviously a major deterrent to
the music business.
I understand about the cabotage limits causing us problems and
the dual registration of vehicles. If I were to put it to anybody
looking at this from the outside, I would simply say that the new
regulation, which is a UK regulation alone and therefore has no
convergence with EU rules, is that a company or body can register
a vehicle inside the European Union, house it, drive it over
here, change the number plates, get the load on board, change the
number plates back and drive it across to Europe. But for many
people that is not how instruments are moved across borders. It
impacts greatly on the source of income of the music
industry.
This solution, as the Government have called it, is not really a
solution. It is a sticking plaster that just helps to make life
less difficult than it was before. For many, it is not a solution
because, as the noble Earl, , says, many orchestras own
their vehicles, which are single vehicles, so the effect of
having dual registration would be very costly indeed. The
Government have also suggested splitting loads as another way.
Again, as with the other, that is only a partial and temporary
solution. It is interesting that the CEO of the Featured Artists
Coalition has said that there has been a lack of engagement from
government. The small steps toward solutions to address the
problems are, in his words,
“driven by the industry, same for touring with splitter vans. The
government keep claiming victories for things they’ve done no
work on”.
I put it to the Minister today that there are solutions that are
simple and shared by the creative arts community at large: for
example, financial support, similar to that given to the fishery
industry, would be needed to help the creative arts industry as a
whole. If it is suitable for one, why not the other, which is a
much bigger industry? Another is providing better negotiation and
cohesion for the groups affected, working with the music
industry, perhaps to provide a single help point for advice and
guidance. But fundamentally, the UK needs to negotiate with the
EU member states or the EU itself.
There is a mutual understanding of these issues—the Spanish
example is one—but I understand that the issue facing the UK
Government is that they have to build a better and more
collaborative approach with our friends in the European Union.
This is being hugely affected by the approach taken on the
Northern Ireland protocol. The UK is blocked from joining the
Horizon research programme, affecting many of our universities. I
would hazard a guess that this, linked to an unwillingness from
the UK to enter negotiations, is the fundamental reason for this
blockage.
I know that the Minister cannot reply on behalf of the new world,
but we do not know what the relationship with the EU will be in
the new world. However, we have to rebuild our relationship and
make it better, so that these problems will no longer apply to a
very critical industry for the United Kingdom.
1.27pm
(CB)
My Lords, I join other noble Lords in congratulating my noble
friend , not just on securing
today’s debate but on his energy and resilience in keeping these
matters so firmly on the agenda. The nature of this QSD means
that this debate is inevitably structured in the form of a theme
and variations, which is probably fitting giving its relationship
to music. My noble friend has comprehensively set out so many of
the themes in his excellent speech; all we have to do is
extemporise on one or more of them in our allotted time. But I
will attempt to do a little more, suggesting ways in which the
current dissonance might shift towards consonance and even
resolution.
The extent of the challenges resulting from the omission of any
provision for the touring of creative professionals and their
support staff has been masked to date by the pandemic. But, as
touring starts up again, we are seeing tangible evidence of
impacts across four key areas.
First, the absence of a universal visa waiver agreement means
that different EU members can treat UK artists and their staff in
different ways, creating a complex and costly regulatory
landscape, particularly in the case of multi-country tours.
Secondly, the costs associated with an ATA carnet are proving to
be prohibitive, especially for larger operations such as
orchestras, whose instruments and equipment can be valued at
millions of pounds. Thirdly, cabotage restrictions, as we have
heard, permit only three internal movements in the EU for UK
hauliers over 3.5 tonnes—disastrous when tours cover multiple
countries over weeks and months. Dual registration does not
provide a solution for ensembles with a single, purpose-built
touring vehicle which cannot create the required EU base.
Finally, CITES requirements for musical instruments containing
protected materials can prevent last-minute bookings, which are
often the things which provide vital career breaks.
The creative sector has been working hard to propose solutions to
these challenges. It has put forward a cultural exemption,
applied reciprocally, to cover cabotage, CITES and carnets, and
suggested a bespoke visa-waiver agreement to allow visa-free
working for 90 in 180 days across the whole of the EU and
UK—something many countries already offer. Some small steps have
been made—I am sure that the Minister will refer to them in
winding—but progress has been lamentably slow over the two and
half years since the TCA was signed.
Here is where I move from the minor to the major key. When it
became clear that touring had indeed been omitted from the TCA,
each side claimed that it had offered a deal on touring that the
other had rejected. At this point in time, the important part of
this sorry story is not that we failed to agree a deal or that we
could not agree on who was to blame; it is that we wanted the
same thing. If we could now agree to focus not on the past but on
the future, that common aim—our shared ambition to enable
creative touring—means that we could make rapid progress on
resolving this issue, unlike some of the more contentious issues
currently on the table. There is a structure in place through
which such progress can be made: the Partnership Council has the
power to adopt amendments to the TCA and so could achieve what
the original negotiators, on both sides, say that they wanted but
failed to agree.
The history of art is one of finding inspiration from each
other’s cultures, of building ideas and of innovating practice,
as artists travel from city to city, state to state. In Europe,
this has been the case for hundreds of years and it has enriched
our shared and distinctive heritages. Not only that, but when
artists and musicians tour, they
bring with them direct and indirect economic benefits. They
contribute to healthy societies, they promote intercultural
understanding and they foster positive relations between
nations.
There is much to be gained for both sides in resolving the
question of touring. Failure to find resolution will leave us all
the poorer and it will be disproportionately hard on emerging and
early-career artists, for whom touring is a vital element of
professional development. We need to move now to avoid
disadvantaging the next generation. I hope that the Minister will
do everything that he can to persuade colleagues that working
together with the EU to resolve this relatively uncontentious
issue would demonstrate our shared desire to make a success of
our future relationship with our closest neighbours, with whom we
share such a rich and productive history of cultural
exchange.
1.32pm
The Lord
My Lords, like others, I thank the noble Earl for bringing us
this debate. Noble Lords would expect a to be passionate about
music. Our vibrant popular and contemporary music scene is
central to our local economy. The Royal Northern College of Music
is one of our universities and we also have the leading music
school for the north of England in Chetham’s, whose campus is
next door to my cathedral and provides many of our choristers. We
recently dedicated a brand-new, £2 million cathedral organ. It
was the donation of a single—as it happens, Jewish—businessman,
Sir Norman Stoller. Our music matters to us in Manchester. We
invest in it and in the diverse young people developing their
skills in it. It is a great force for levelling up.
However, the issues that the noble Earl has brought to our
attention are affecting the Church considerably, including our
cathedral choirs, parish churches and school choirs. I am not the
first Bishop to raise these matters. The right reverend Prelate
the and, before her, the
right reverend Prelate the have been raising
them since at least 2018. They were promised much, but we have
seen little by way of change.
On behalf of the nation, the Church maintains a unique tradition
of English choral music. We host hundreds of concerts, music,
theatre and arts events in 16,000 parishes and 42 cathedrals. The
Church is part of Britain’s shared cultural heritage and supports
thousands of professional and amateur performers, who bring
shared cultural experiences to local communities. It has been
levelling up the arts for centuries and providing opportunities
for hundreds of young artists in our schools, churches and
cathedral choirs to gain musical training. These choirs and
organists often tour across Europe in the summer. It plays a
significant and vital role in fundraising and supports a
continuation of the musical foundation within the Church and our
ability to offer scholarships and opportunities to children and
young people, not least in rural and deprived communities. My
cathedral is at the heart of a very deprived part of
Manchester.
In the Church, we want to continue to invest in supporting our
nation’s young people and our cultural life. What will the
Government do to back the work that we and others are doing to
invest in that? I believe that the Government should see this as
a key export opportunity and should use the soft power of the
arts to build an economic return for the UK.
Music is not only an economic asset. I would argue that when our
choirs tour Europe and beyond, they are singing not only psalms
but British values. Diverse voices raised in harmony are a
powerful symbol of what our nation, at its best, stands for. It
has been a great privilege to lead your Lordships’ House each
morning this week in reciting a psalm—how much more wonderful it
would have been had we been able to sing them.
There is already significant demand in the EU and worldwide for
our choirs and orchestras to perform, but red tape prevents
professional and amateur musicians from
travelling. We need the Government to open doors and simplify the
visa processes, not just for the big players such as the LSO or
the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra but for our smaller but
talented professional and amateur choirs and orchestras, such as
my Manchester Cathedral Choir and the world-famous choir of my
old college, King’s, Cambridge—I had to get them in.
In the brief time left to me, I would like to ask the Minister
three things. First, what steps are the Government taking to
simplify the administration of the current visa system so that
the complexity and volume of paperwork are no longer hampering
groups travelling? Secondly, what support will the Government
make available for the regional arts and culture sector to bounce
back after Covid? Thirdly, will the Minister commit to meeting
the Church to discuss the current challenges that we have and the
opportunities that we can, with support, now grasp? I look
forward to the response from the Minister and hope to speak
further on this matter.
1.36pm
(Con)
My Lords, I thank the noble Earl for securing this debate. His
determination over a long 18 months to improve the ability of
UK musicians to work and
travel in the EU is much appreciated by all of us here today, on
both sides. I also thank the Minister for his commitment to music
and his belief in the value of music education and the importance
that it plays in creating a pipeline of talent for the creative
industries.
I declare my interest as chair of the advisory panel for the new
national plan for music education, as a council member of the
Arts Council and as governor of Shoreditch Park academy, which
has a wonderful music tradition.
I am delighted that the talent pipeline has been raised today.
That is what I would like to talk about. It gives me an
opportunity to say a few words about the music education plan,
which I hope some noble Lords will have read—for anyone who has
not read it yet, I hope that they will now. It has just been
published and it has been described as ambitious. Yes, it is. I
think that we should be ambitious for our young people,
particularly with regard to music education. We must ensure that
all children, irrespective of background and circumstance, have
access to high-quality music education.
We set out in detail in the plan how we can enable all pupils to
learn to sing, to play an instrument, to create music together
and to have the opportunity to progress their musical interests
and talents, including professionally. Every parent must now be
absolutely clear, from the plan, that music is a statutory
subject in the curriculum and should be taught as robustly as any
other subject. Music is not just a nice-to-have extra; it is an
essential part of every child’s education.
Every head teacher in primary and secondary has the power to put
music at the heart of their school. Thousands already do, working
within their budgets and using, sometimes, the pupil premium.
Every child should receive an absolute minimum of one hour per
week of music education in the classroom. Every school should
have a music lead or head of music. Every school should have a
music development plan for every pupil and a progression plan for
those children with passion and commitment to realise their
potential.
There is the most wonderful music happening in many schools right
across the country, in spite of all the difficulties, because
some heads, governors and senior leadership teams recognise
music’s value. Those in areas of disadvantage discover that music
is transformative. The plan is called “The Power of Music to
Change Lives” for a very good reason. In Bradford, for example,
an area of great disadvantage, Feversham Primary Academy was in
special measures some years ago. It is now rated outstanding,
because music is at the heart of the school. At Dersingham VA
Primary in Norfolk, where 25% of the children have special needs,
nearly half of all pupils continue with instrumental tuition
after whole-class ensemble teaching. At Churchfields Junior
School in Redbridge, where 32 languages are spoken, 60% of pupils
learn two musical instruments. At Green Dragon Primary School in
Hounslow, where 79% are of ethnic-minority backgrounds, all
pupils learn to play the violin or a brass or woodwind
instrument. There is wonderful music out there and schools are
making it happen. It has to start in school. Many of them use the
pupil premium to help deliver this inclusive music education.
Music hubs across the country are there to support schools. They
have now secured three-year funding, which is really important
for them to form the necessary partnerships. They will help
ensure that the plan is implemented. Inspirational hub leaders
from Blackpool and Bradford to Hounslow and Hackney are doing
magnificent work with schools, forming partnerships to ensure
that every child can progress their interest and talents. It can
be done. The money is there and so are the instruments, thanks to
a new investment of £25 million from the Department for
Education, for which we are most grateful. To help ensure that
more children from disadvantaged backgrounds will have the
opportunity that we all want them to have, there will be a new
progression fund. This could be a game-changer and it is really
important. I am delighted to take part in this debate and I look
forward to hearing from the Minister.
1.42pm
(LD) [V]
My Lords, I thank the noble Earl for giving us the opportunity to
debate this important subject. I am not in the habit of beating
around the bush or avoiding the difficult topics, so I have no
hesitation in speaking truth to power by saying that there is
just one reason why British musicians
dancers and actors, our fashion industry, and all the people who
support them, are condemned to climbing a new mountain of red
tape, enduring months of stress and diverting earning time to
chase around for paperwork, just for one gig in Europe. There is
only one reason why all our creative arts industries are going to
plunge from their genuinely world-leading position. There is only
one reason why many of the millions of skilled workers who worked
in the arts are finding other jobs and probably will not return
to the industry. There is one reason why a whole generation of
talented young performers and back-up staff will be lost for
ever. There is one reason why the economy of this country is
suffering yet another major blow through the self-inflicted
damage being done to its second-largest sector. There is one
reason why one of the main instruments of our country’s soft
power—our highly respected creative arts—has been casually tossed
away by this shambles of a Government.
That one reason is not inflation, although runaway costs are a
serious problem for the arts, as they are in all sectors of the
economy, with some haulage costs quadrupling; nor is it Covid,
which devastated the performance industries for two years but
which they have somehow survived through a combination of
hardship, hard work, ingenuity and government support. The hard
truth is that it all comes down to Brexit; to the complete
omission of the creative industries from the trade and
co-operation agreement and to this Government’s gleeful
destruction of freedom of movement—a wonderful freedom for all
our citizens, and which used to enable our performers to go and
work in Europe without a hint of hassle.
The trite notion of taking back control is the only excuse the
Government give for rejecting the EU’s generous offer of a
cultural exemption from all the new impediments to our creative
arts doing business in Europe. The Government would have us
believe that allowing European performers to enter the UK for a
few days or weeks to do some shows and then leave again presents
a threat of untrammelled immigration. No doubt we will hear this
nonsense again when the Minister responds, if he has not
belatedly resigned before we finish this debate.
If I had time, I could provide countless examples of how the
masses of new red tape that the Government have inflicted on
individual musicians bands and
orchestras is suffocating the industry and its economically
essential work in Europe. I will mention just one: a couple who
have travelled to work in opera, in Denmark, every summer for the
last 20 years. This year they only just managed to retain this
vital engagement, but not without two months of huge stress and
chasing around this country to get all the paperwork ducks in a
row. They even produced a manual to help others thinking of
trying to do the same thing, but it would probably deter people
from even considering going through what must be heaven for
officials but red tape hell for anyone trying to earn a living in
the arts.
DCMS’s attempts to mitigate the many new and unnecessary
obstacles to touring and working in Europe are having only a
marginal effect. There is consensus in the industry that the only
real solution is for the Government to negotiate the cultural
exemptions on visas, work permits, cabotage, CITES and carnets
that were on the table during the bungled negotiations on the
trade deal and wantonly rejected by the Government. Whether this
crumbling Administration, or whatever follows them, will have the
gumption to recognise these massive problems and fix them remains
to be seen. We will need to see an end to the current
confrontational approach towards the EU exhibited by this
Government.
1.46pm
(Con)
My Lords, I also thank the noble Earl, , particularly because he
added the phrase “and other creative professionals”. He will know
that this immediately gives me the opportunity to speak on a
subject with which he has become familiar every time he
introduces debates on this, namely the vital importance of the
work of the snowsport community in the Alps. They are among the
most creative of professionals.
As my noble friend knows, gone are the days when
you can win a snowboard title with a cork. Slopestyle, superpipe,
big air and freestyle are all highly artistic forms of winter
sport, and the professionals who work in this area need access to
coach in the European Union. This debate gives me an excellent
opportunity to seek reassurances from my noble friend the
Minister about the work being undertaken to improve the ability
of our snowsport professionals to work in the European Union. I
do not expect answers to all the questions I will raise, but I
ask the Minister to write to me after the debate with an update
that I can pass on to everybody interested in the sector.
As my noble friend the Minister knows, the Government have been
lobbying effectively, in partnership with the Alpine Sports
Group, to ensure that support is provided to governing bodies,
regulators, associations and professionals in this sector as they
work through the process of securing qualification recognition in
various EU member states. This time last year, representatives of
the Alpine Sports Group met government representatives, as well
as the FCDO attaché to the British embassy in Switzerland, to
discuss how to minimise the negative consequences of Brexit on UK
alpine sports. All these representatives have been focused on
negotiations with the EU on the recognition of professional
qualifications, the mobility of UK nationals within and across
the EU, and the UK’s policy towards the EU on these topics.
I would be grateful if the Government could confirm that they
have now formed a new recognition arrangements team to provide
winter sport professionals with support as we continue to
negotiate agreements with our counterparts in EU member states.
The ASG was left in no doubt that it now has the support of the
Government, for which I thank the Government, irrespective of
whether they pursue bilateral agreements with the individual
states or a master recognition agreement.
The situation is still exceptionally difficult. Working in France
as a snowsports professional, whether for coaching club teams or
athletes, or for instructing purposes, remains a tightly
controlled activity. The UK’s exit from the EU means we no longer
benefit from the right of establishment as snowsports instructors
or coaches under the delegated Act. This very much leads to a
case-by-case approach, depending on individual resorts and the
attitude taken by the ski schools in them. That process is opaque
to this day. There is a requirement for a carte pro, but how you
get it differs in different parts of the Alps. We need to work
with our friends in Europe to overcome the difficulties faced by
many instructors and coaches seeking eligibility for a carte
pro.
Even when you have a carte pro, there is uncertainty over the
issuing of visas. If you are a British citizen, do not hold any
other EU passports and have not benefited from the terms of the
withdrawal agreement, you need a visa, but there is no certainty
that British nationals will receive one. That again is a concern
to people whose livelihoods are based, as winter sport
professionals’ are, in the mountains.
Finally, I will give the example of working in Switzerland.
Switzerland comes into this context because it has an arrangement
with the European Union on the recognition of snowsports
instructors. There are significant variations here between
federal law and its regional application. Swiss cantons are
allowed to interpret certain pieces of federal legislation,
notably the Foreign Nationals and Integration Act and the
legislation relating to admission, stay and the exercise of
gainful activity, especially where local snowsports tuition and
services are offered and the activity in question is a regulated
profession. It varies substantially from one ski resort or one
canton to another.
I conclude by at least welcoming one canton, Bern, which recently
stated that
“we recognize the long tradition of snowsports in the United
Kingdom and also understand the interest of the Swiss ski schools
in securing access to ski instructors from the UK, who make a
valuable contribution to the Alpine economy in particular in our
Canton.”
I urge all noble Lords to go to resorts in Bern this winter.
1.52pm
of Cheltenham (LD) [V]
My Lords, I thank the noble Earl for securing this important
debate on this slow news day. My brother is a rock musician who
has worked with some of the industry’s finest, including Joe
Brown, Michael Schenker, and the great Russ Ballard and Bob
Henrit, who were in Adam Faith’s Roulettes in the 1960s, before
moving on to Unit 4+2, Argent and, in Bob’s case, The Kinks.
I asked Russell, one of our most successful songwriters, for his
views on the new challenges of touring Europe. He said this:
“I worked extensively around Europe in the sixties and suffered
all the bureaucracy of border controls. Carnets were the bane of
our lives. These were lists of instruments in the truck, guitars,
keyboards, drums, amplifiers and mixers which often had to be
unloaded, taken out of their cases and checked against the
carnet, to make sure these long-haired, unwashed, hooligan types
were not smuggling alcohol, cigarettes or some other substance
that the border officer could give in evidence for his
promotion.
Obviously, every musician wasn’t unwashed or a hooligan, and
every border guard wasn’t always looking for promotion. However,
being stopped at borders was a pain. Unloading a lorry, sometimes
in the snow, was time-consuming. When, in the early seventies, we
became part of the EU, it was like discovering a new planet. It
looked the same, with the same officials at the borders, but it
was a new, wonderful experience, enabling us to get to gigs on
time. We thought we’d died and gone to heaven.
Most MPs are too young to know what it was like back then and how
things improved when we joined the European Union. I am planning
a tour to Germany in October—but complying with the new
regulations reminds me of the bad old days. It is manageable for
people like me, but for performers on the margin of financial
viability, Europe is now off limits.”
They are the words of Russ Ballard.
Failure to take concrete action will cede a live music market
where UK artists have historically been dominant. UK Music’s
latest report, This Is Music, showed that 2020 was very difficult
for the music sector, and it is hardly any better now.
Before the pandemic, music was a driver of growth across the UK,
being worth £5.8 billion in gross value added and employing
almost 200,000 people. The GVA of the sector grew by 11% in 2019,
employment grew by 3% and the value of exports by 9%, far above
the economy as a whole. EU member states are a vital market for
the UK’s £2.3 billion-worth of music exports, particularly live
music, and the European Commission admitted in 2019 that UK acts
dominate the European panorama.
Another problem, as we have heard, is merchandise. Many acts are
finding that they are falling foul of customs rules when they
attempt to sell merchandise in the EU alongside their live tours.
Additional duties and the requirement to VAT register can
obliterate margins for the sale of merchandise. Tankus the Henge
has said that the additional costs meant it missed out on
£2,500-worth of merchandise sales on its last tour of France. A
range of artists, including The Anchoress, have stated that
postage costs for small businesses like theirs looking to make
individual item sales to EU-based customers have spiralled, often
making individual sales uneconomic and hitting another revenue
stream for emerging artists.
A carnet waiver agreement between the UK and the EU is absolutely
vital. Can the Minister give us any hope on this? Let us not
forget that this filipendulous Prime Minister—if he still is
Prime Minister—promised to work flat out to resolve these issues,
but nothing has improved. It was the usual bluster. The
Government must sort out this European touring catastrophe so
that our musicians can regain
the ability to learn from musicians there, who
can also learn from musicians here,
enhancing all our lives.
1.57pm
(CB)
My Lords, my noble friend is to be warmly
congratulated on the skill, determination and perseverance with
which he has brought to the Committee’s attention the damage that
has been done to the work of Britain’s creative professionals by
both Covid and, more durably, Brexit, as well as the inadequacy
of the Government’s response so far on the latter point. This
issue has also been taken up by your Lordships’ European Affairs
Committee, of which I am a member, in a chain of correspondence
which is perhaps best characterised as a dialogue of the
deaf.
Britain’s creative professionals make up an important sector of
our economy, as a number of noble Lords have emphasised, but they
are much more than that. They make a major contribution to wider
European culture, of which we remain a crucial part. That damage
really matters and remedying it is really important.
The failure of the UK’s trade and co-operation agreement with the
EU to make any, let alone adequate, provision for the detailed
and complex work of these professionals was clear from the
outset. The negotiator of that agreement, the noble Lord, , said in a lecture he gave in
Zurich a couple of months ago that he believed the Government had
been “too purist” in their approach to the sector and that they
should now “try harder”. Does the Minister agree with that
analysis and if not, why not?
I am sure that the Minister will tell us a good deal about the
Government’s efforts to negotiate bilaterally over access for our
creative professionals with the 27 members of the EU, all of
which apart from four are, I believe, now covered. But these
bilateral arrangements are far from all that is needed to
facilitate their work, which often takes them to more than one
member state and involves complex issues such as visa waivers,
work permits, cabotage and carnets for the instruments carrying
vehicles. All these things fall within the scope of the EU as
such. What is needed, therefore, are not only those bilateral
arrangements, welcome though they are, but action at EU level
through the TCA and its pyramid of joint sectoral bodies. Can the
Minister say what, if any, action has been and is being taken by
the Government to make use of that joint machinery to raise, and
if possible to remedy, the problems with which these
professionals are faced following Brexit? If the answer is that
no such action has been taken or is contemplated, why not?
Two weeks ago, when the Minister of State at the FCDO responsible
for our relations with the EU, James Cleverly—now promoted—was
giving evidence to the European Affairs Committee, he was asked
specifically about these matters. It was suggested that, rather
than resting on the outcome of the TCA negotiations when the EU
rejected our preferred solution and we rejected its preferred
solution, it might be better to explore with the EU other methods
of addressing the problems in this sector in the way that the
noble Lord, , has suggested. At the end of
that exchange, the Minister replied:
“That certainly should not be taken as an unwillingness to
revisit it. It is something we can look at.”
Will the Minister say what is being done to look at these
matters?
I have one final thought: it would be a tragedy if the problems
in this sector were linked in any way with the wider issues that
have arisen over Brexit and its implementation. They surely need
to be addressed on their own merits. This is a field of activity
where those on both sides of the channel have much to gain from
freer access for creative professionals and nothing to lose from
it. Let us hope that, over time, that can be achieved.
2.01pm
(LD)
My Lords, the noble Earl, , aided and abetted by many
of those who have taken part in today’s debate, has been raising
these issues for well over two years now. I congratulate him on
his tenacity in securing this debate and his comprehensive
introduction today. I certainly hope that the Minister has now
got the picture—or should I say the mood music, with all the
variations, perhaps, that the noble Baroness, Lady Bull,
described in her speech.
As we have continuously emphasised in the last two years, we are
talking about not only touring by the music industry—one of the
most successful and fastest growing sectors, where real jobs and
livelihoods now risk being lost—but by a number of other
important parts of the creative sector as well: museums, theatre
and the wider visual arts sector, as described by the
Contemporary Visual Arts Network, and indeed the sports sector,
as described by the noble Lord, . The ramifications are very
broad. The right reverend Prelate reminded us that this impacts
on levelling up and on values. We heard from the noble Baroness,
Lady Fleet, about the impact on the talent pipeline and the
potential to impact on communities through music education.
The dual registration deal on cabotage, which we have debated
previously, falls short of satisfying the greater number of
smaller specialist hauliers and own-account operators—it was
described as a sticking plaster by my noble friend , and he is correct. On these
Benches, we pointed out that the issues on cabotage were just one
part of a huge cloud now hanging over the creative sector as a
result of Brexit. The noble Viscount, Lord Stansgate, my noble
friend and the noble Lord, Lord
Hannay, all described that, including the requirement for work
permits or visa exemptions in many EU countries, CITES
certificates for musical instruments, ATA carnets for all
instruments and equipment, and proof of origin requirements for
merchandise. It is a real return to the past, as described by my
noble friend .
The failure to secure a reciprocal exemption to permit freedom of
movement for creatives on tour or short-term paid engagements and
their support staff when we left the EU has been catastrophic for
UK and EU touring creatives. The sheer disparity of treatment was
described by my noble friend . As the noble Lord, Lord
Hannay, said, it was very clear from the outset that that would
be the impact.
The reason we are in this mess is that the Home Office refused to
grant particular categories of EU citizens, including
sportspersons or artists performing an activity on an ad hoc
basis, the right to 90 days permitted paid engagement, and so the
EU would not reciprocate. We are still pursuing freedom of
information requests to find out exactly what the UK Government
put forward. The problems with merchandise, carnets and CITES
are, if anything, worse, as described by a number of noble Lords.
As the noble Baroness, Lady Bull, confirmed, the ISM says:
“In fact, almost nothing has changed since the TCA came into
effect, as recent accounts from musicians resuming EU
tours have demonstrated.”
As the Classical Music APPG, LIVE, UK Music, the ISM and many
others have advocated, what is urgently needed are permanent
solutions which will secure the kind of future that the noble
Viscount, Lord Stansgate, referred to.
Some require bilateral negotiation and some can be done
unilaterally through greater engagement, but the key to this is
multilateral action. As a number of noble Lords have said, we
need more productive, collaborative relationships. This was
mentioned by the noble Lords, Lord Hannay and , my noble friend and the noble Baroness, Lady
Bull. The noble Baroness made some very constructive, detailed
suggestions about how we can get to that point on those
multilateral negotiations. We need comprehensive negotiation on
road haulage for cultural purposes, a cultural waiver in relation
to ATA carnets and CITES, and a visa waiver agreement.
There is a very depressing letter from former Minister Lopez to
my colleague in the Commons , which sets out very few
constructive proposals. I hope the Minister here today does
rather better. Will we get the kind of new beginning that the
noble Lord, , mentioned? We need something
simple and effective.
2.06pm
(Lab)
My Lords, I am also very grateful to the noble Earl, , for securing this debate. I
thank him not just for today but for all the work he has done to
shine a very helpful and practical spotlight on the difficulties
encountered by those in the creative industries, whether music,
fashion, dance, the visual arts or the many other aspects that
our country can offer. As always, the noble Earl brings us all
together. I hope that the Minister will have some comfort for us
today about action that will be taken.
As we have heard, this is not just about the very important role
of the creative sector in the economy—an economy which so
desperately needs growth and improvements in productivity, and we
can look to the creative sector for a major contribution there.
It is also about flying our flag, which the right reverend
Prelate spoke about. It is about entertaining and enriching us,
as the noble Lord, , said. It is about our
heritage and culture. As the noble Lord, Lord Hannay, said, this
is being hampered by an artificial set of obstacles under the
banner of Brexit. I am sure it is within our wit to sort this
out, and I remain mystified as to why it has not been possible to
do so.
The noble Baroness, Lady Fleet, spoke about a focus on young
people and their development in schools. It is one thing to
educate, but there has to be an outlet for young people who want
to go further. I believe we owe it to them to do this.
As has been referenced a number of times, the noble Lord, , conceded that the UK Government
could and should have secured a better deal in this area. From
these Benches, we also believe that a better deal could be
available but that negotiations in this area were not helped by
the Government’s ongoing approach to challenges around the
Northern Ireland protocol. With the prospect of new leadership
and a new Government in sight, perhaps the Minister might comment
on what opportunities may now be liberated in this regard.
When I looked back, in preparation for this debate, at the
Questions and previous debates we have had in the Chamber, I saw
repeated comments that those in the creative sector can refer to
GOV.UK, where requirements listed by individual country are
available. I do not doubt that for a moment, but I do not feel
that that is the answer we are looking for today. As the noble
Baroness, Lady Bull, said, there are mechanisms that can already
be used to find a way forward, without even looking at a number
of the new solutions that various organisations and noble Lords
have put forward to assist the Minister. That is an important
point, because it is not just in our interests in the UK to
remove the unnecessary obstacles; it is also in the interests of
our European friends and neighbours, who I believe would be all
the poorer if they did not have access to what our British
creative sector can offer them.
I pick up the point referred to by my noble friend Lord Stansgate
and other noble Lords in the course of this debate. What effect
does the Minister feel that the difficulties to which we have
alluded today have had on emerging talent? What assessment has
there been of whether there has been an exacerbation of
pre-existing inequalities? If there has been such an assessment,
what steps will there be to deal with these inequalities? It
cannot be right that young, working-class, diverse artists find
themselves more likely to be stopped and denied entry. They are
also the group that will find it harder to meet upfront fees.
I hope the Minister will reflect on this debate, as I know he
always does, and see in it not just criticism of where we are but
a will to find a constructive way forward, which I hope we can
get to.
2.12pm
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for
Digital, Culture, Media and Sport ( of Whitley Bay) (Con)
My Lords, I am very grateful to the noble Earl, , for raising the vital issue
of touring, and I am glad that further time has been provided for
the debate. I know that the noble Earl is a great champion of
our musicians and creative
professionals. I am grateful to him for the meetings we have had
about it and for bringing people into the department to discuss
these matters directly with me. I am also grateful to all noble
Lords who have taken part in today’s debate. I agree with the
noble Baroness, Lady Bull, that there has been great harmony in
what has been said, and with the final remarks by the noble
Baroness, Lady Merron, about the constructive tone that noble
Lords have rightly taken.
The UK’s creative and cultural sectors are internationally
renowned. They contribute a huge amount to our economy, but also
to our culture and our lives more broadly. Touring is a
significant part of their work, enabling us to share the best of
the UK’s talents with our friends in the European Union and on a
wider international stage, as well as all the economic and
cultural benefits that touring brings.
The UK has left the European Union, and we recognise that the way
in which creative professionals work and tour in the European
Union has changed. I know that this, exacerbated by the pandemic,
has in recent years caused uncertainty for the sector, which can
be particularly challenging for newer or emerging creative
professionals, for whom touring is a key part of their
development and professional lives. That is why the Government
have been working hard to support the touring sectors to clarify
arrangements, to help them to adapt where needed, and to explore
what we can do, both bilaterally with EU member states and
unilaterally, to make touring easier.
Throughout this period, we have remained in close contact with
representatives of the sector. My former colleague , who was Minister of State for
Media, Data and Digital Infrastructure, recently attended the
eighth meeting of the touring working group and heard feedback
directly from the sector on its experience of touring so far this
summer, which is of course the first full summer of touring
following the lifting of the Covid-19 restrictions. It is clear
that some issues remain, but we should also note that, in many
areas, arrangements are more workable than is sometimes
reported.
Today, I want to discuss both the work that we have done so far
and the areas where we can continue to work together to ensure
that our excellent creative professionals continue to tour
widely, growing their audiences, honing their craft and sharing
the joy of the work they produce.
Touring can broadly be categorised by the movement of people,
goods and vehicles, so I will address each of those in turn. I
turn first to the movement of people. The Government have worked
very hard to clarify arrangements across the member states of the
EU that are principally responsible for deciding the rules
governing what work UK visitors can undertake there. Our
engagement so far has resulted in the confirmation that almost
all EU member states offer visa-free and work permit-free routes
for musicians and other
creative professionals, many for up to 90 days, including major
touring markets such as France, Germany and Italy.
Where visa-free and work permit-free routes were not initially
available, we worked hard, in collaboration with the sector, to
encourage easements, which I am pleased to say has resulted in a
further two member states—Spain, and most recently Greece, as the
noble Earl mentioned—taking unilateral action to enable UK
creative professionals to perform and tour visa-free. This is a
happy outcome and testament to the success that can be achieved
when the Government and the industry combine their voices.
I recognise that the situation for touring has changed since we
left the European Union and that this has required adaptation,
but it is important to recognise that these visa-free and
permit-free routes exist. As definitions can vary, travellers
should check the specific requirements before travelling. We are
aware that, in the period immediately following our departure
from the EU, much of the information that was available from
member states online led to confusion in the sector. That is why
we engaged with those member states, and I am pleased to say that
our engagement has resulted in a number of them amending their
online guidance to provide further clarity. We have also
published enhanced guidance on the UK Government’s website,
GOV.UK, to support British nationals, including creative and
cultural professionals, to navigate the new arrangements. We have
worked closely with representatives of the sector through the
touring working group, and have shared details with it directly
as we receive new information from member states.
This means that there are now only three member states—Portugal,
Malta and Cyprus—that do not offer visa-free and work permit-free
touring. We have engaged with these remaining member states
extensively, using the diplomatic means at our disposal. Most
recently, the Minister for Europe, my right honourable friend
James Cleverly—now the Education Secretary, as noted by the noble
Lord, Lord Hannay—met the Portuguese ambassador to the United
Kingdom and raised the importance of touring with him.
We should acknowledge that, ultimately, it is up to member states
to align their requirements more closely with the UK’s generous
rules to enable them to enjoy the cultural and economic benefits
of visa-free and work permit-free touring. As the noble Baroness,
Lady Merron, said, it is to their benefit as well.
On the movement of goods, there are new requirements related to
ATA carnets, the movement of merchandise and the movement of
instruments made from protected materials, as was raised by the
noble Earl, . These again have required
adaptation, and we have worked across government to provide the
information and clarity needed. ATA carnets are not new to
touring, and have previously been required when travelling beyond
the European Union, such as through Switzerland. This is a case
of adaptation. Where a carnet is required, it is a single
document that can be used for multiple items, as many times as
required, in approximately 80 countries around the world, over a
12-month period.
Most significantly, we have confirmed that portable musical
instruments, accompanied by their owner, can be transported
cost-free and should not require a carnet. I am aware that there
have been some issues, such as inconsistent enforcement of these
rules in certain member states and challenges regarding the
commercial policies of transport operators. Where these issues
have arisen, we have worked urgently with colleagues across
government and the creative sector, as well as with transport
operators and the relevant member states, to address them. If
noble Lords are aware of issues, I am always happy to receive
information, so that we can continue to follow them up swiftly.
Similarly, the EU’s rules state that each individual is able to
take up to €1,000-worth of merchandise, with a total weight of
1,000 kilograms or less, into the European Union to sell on tour
without paying EU customs duties.
The noble Earl asked about the designation of St Pancras as a
CITES port. We have been engaging with the sector on this and I
am grateful to the Musicians’ Union, the Incorporated Society
of musicians and the
Association of British Orchestras for providing some detailed
information at the end of May to inform that work and those
discussions. The number of CITES ports has already increased from
24 to 36. Thanks to the information provided by the sector,
discussions are taking place now between Defra and Border Force.
We will continue to engage closely with the sector and keep it up
to date on progress, as well as continuing to listen for whether
there are clear steps we can take to support our musicians to tour, this
summer and beyond.
The noble Earl also asked about the CITES COP meeting which takes
place in Panama, in November. We are indeed preparing for that
meeting and will consider any proposal put forward to extend the
duration of musical instrument certificates. In principle, that
would certainly seem sensible, but of course we will need time to
look at the particulars of what is put forward, along with the
other proposals advanced ahead of the COP meeting.
I know that much focus of recent discussion about touring
understandably revolves around the challenges that new rules pose
to the movement of vehicles and the impact on the UK’s specialist
haulage industry. It is worth reiterating that during
negotiations on the trade and co-operation agreement we proposed
specific market access rules for specialist hauliers carrying out
tours for cultural events, but the EU did not agree to this. I
agree with the noble Baroness, Lady Bull, that it is important
that we focus on the future and on practical steps we can take to
advance solutions.
To address these challenges, the Government have engaged
extensively with the specialist haulage industry, including via a
public consultation earlier this year on support for specialist
events hauliers working on cross-border tours. As a result of
this engagement, the Department for Transport is currently
working on the implementation of dual registration to enable it
to come into force this summer, with an interim measure in place
in the meantime. Dual registration will enable operators who
establish a UK and EU base temporarily to transfer their
EU-registered vehicles to their GB operator’s licence, enabling
full UK and EU single market access rights, without swapping
vehicles. I do not wish to suggest that this measure will address
all the challenges faced by the specialist haulage industry, as
noble Lords rightly point out, but it is again important to
recognise that this step is being taken.
I mentioned earlier that we appreciate that some of the new
requirements are a particular concern for newer and emerging
artists, as the noble Viscount, Lord Stansgate, rightly stressed.
I know that the sector was therefore pleased to get confirmation
that splitter vans, carrying both equipment and up to nine
passengers, do not fall in the scope of the trade and
co-operation agreement market access rules regarding cabotage and
cross trade, and instead are subject to member state law.
I turn to the range of wider support that Her Majesty’s
Government provide to our excellent creative and cultural
industries. To help artists navigate the new requirements, we
have developed creative sector-specific landing pages on the
GOV.UK website, providing relevant guidance for people touring
the European Union. We continue to support our music sector
through a range of export support programmes, such as the music
export growth scheme and the international showcase fund.
Creative businesses in England can also access the
internationalisation fund, which provides matching grants for
export support, including attendance at trade shows. We also
launched the export support service last year, through which UK
businesses, including touring professionals, can get online and
telephone support to answer practical questions about exporting
to Europe. We want to do everything that we can to maintain and
strengthen the international reach and reputation of our creative
workers, who support us to be a truly global Britain.
The right reverend Prelate the asked about support
for regional arts organisations. My noble friend Lady Fleet
referred to the national plan for music education, which
reiterated our commitment to music hubs, with £79 million per
annum to support them in their work around the country. The
current national portfolio round of funding from the Arts Council
reflects the Government’s instruction to make sure that that
taxpayer subsidy is spent more equitably and fairly around the
country. Presently, £21 per capita of funding is spent in the
capital compared to £6 per capita outside; we have asked that
that gap be closed.
I would be very happy to meet the right reverend Prelate and
other colleagues from the Church of England to talk about church
music specifically. It would be remiss of me not to mention my
visit to Lincoln Cathedral—particularly noting the presence of my
noble friend and the noble Baroness, Lady
Merron—where I heard the joyful music at evensong. I would
certainly be delighted to attend the launch of the All-Party
Parliamentary Group on Music’s report on 19 July if my diary
allows.
(CB)
The Minister may be drawing to a close since he has gone past his
time, but he has managed, quite brilliantly, to fail to answer
any of the questions that I put to him. I would be grateful to
have responses. He has spoken about bilateral and unilateral
action, but could he not just put a clove of garlic around his
neck and tiptoe into the TCA machinery? This was raised by a
large number of speakers. If that is coming, it will be very
welcome.
of Whitley Bay (Con)
I was watching the clock, but my response to the noble Lord was
on the very next page of my notes. I was just about to mention
the comments of my noble friend in relation to winter sports.
I will certainly write to him with an update after discussing
that with my honourable friend , his successor as Sports
Minister.
The noble Lord, Lord Hannay, asked about the views of my noble
friend in relation to the TCA. I did
indeed read his comments in Zurich with interest. I know that my
noble friend devotes many of his considerable talents to thoughts
for the future—not always in relation to your Lordships’ House. I
look forward to hearing his further thoughts on this topic,
particularly as he knows far more than anybody what was discussed
and the way it was discussed in our negotiations with the EU.
It is important to note that, during the negotiations, the EU
tabled text regarding the paid activities which can be conducted
without a visa. The proposals would not have addressed the
concerns from the sector: they were non-binding, they did not
include touring or technical staff, and they did not address work
permits. However, as the noble Baroness, Lady Bull, invited me
to, I want to keep my comments focused on the future and on
practical steps.
We recognise that our departure from the EU has meant a change
for touring professionals, as it has for people in other areas of
the economy. The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
and the Government as a whole have worked very hard to support
them and will continue to do so. The UK music industry is one of
our great national assets and the Government will back it every
step of the way.
I am very glad that my noble friend Lady Fleet was here to talk
about the work we are doing through the national plan for music
education, the £25 million we are providing for school
instruments and equipment, and the progress fund which will
enable more people from a diverse range of backgrounds to forge
careers in our music sector.
Later today, I am meeting UK Music. I was pleased to meet the
All-Party Parliamentary Jazz Appreciation Group and hand out
awards at its annual awards ceremony, where I talked to people
from the jazz music sector. I am always grateful for
opportunities to meet representatives of the sector to hear what
we can do to support it.
Across the movement of people, goods and vehicles, we have
engaged consistently and extensively to clarify arrangements and
help people adapt. We know that this summer is the first full
summer of touring since the pandemic, and we will engage
particularly to make sure that we are hearing from people who are
on the ground and touring, so that we can follow up where issues
remain. We want to do that and get it right for the sake of our
economy, for the sake of our shared culture and for the far wider
benefits that music brings in enriching our lives. I am very
grateful to the noble Earl for the opportunity he has provided
today to keep this issue rightly prominent.
