Dame (Gosport) (Con):...We
also have to face the fact that we cannot rely exclusively on
public funds to support the creative industries; we need new
ideas. Funding and income streams across the UK remain a
massively pressing issue—the Minister will know this—with most
creators and performers earning less than the minimum wage. A
strong copyright framework is a key element. Freelance creators
and performers rely on royalties from the use of their
copyright-protected works in order to earn a living, but they are
currently not receiving fair remuneration when their works are
copied, stored and shared digitally. I therefore ask the Minister
to look at The Smart
Fund proposal to address that. It is suggested that
in the UK it could raise up to £300 million a year for creators,
performers and communities. Similar schemes already operate in 45
other countries, generating almost £1 billion a year globally.
They do so by diverting a small percentage of the sales of
electronic devices, which copy, store and share creative content,
into a fund that is paid out to creators and local community
projects, with a focus on digital creativity and skills.
The benefit of such a scheme is huge for creators. In France
alone, it raised over £250 million in 2021, supporting artists
and funding almost 12,000 cultural activities a year. Most
importantly, there is simply no evidence that when tariffs
change, device prices change, too. The potential for something
similar for communities in this country is huge, and I ask the
Minister to look at it. It is also supported by the Design and Artists
Copyright Society the British Equity Collecting
Society, Directors UK, and the Authors’ Licensing and Collecting
Society, which represent over 330,000 creative workers between
them. Will the Minister meet representatives of the creative
organisations that support the Smart fund to
discuss this issue?
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Digital, Culture,
Media and Sport ():...I am conscious of the
time, so I will have to write to hon. Members about several
issues. On The Smart
Fund the Minister of State, Department for
Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, my hon. Friend the Member for
Hornchurch and Upminster (), has already met with
industry bodies to learn about the proposals. I will make her
aware of the comments made in the debate today...
Dame (Gosport) (Con):...At the
heart of the sector are the artists and creative talent who make
it possible. It does not happen by magic; it happens when we
support them, nurture them and encourage them. We cannot take our
eye off the ball on that. Knowing that money is tight, I urge the
Minister to look at some of the investment I spoke about today,
such as the Smart fund—innovative ways of
generating money to support our creatives—and to look again, if
he can, at some of the decisions made by the Arts Council.
Although I completely agree with the idea of devolving money to
other parts of the UK, we do not do it by destroying cultural
institutions that have already done so much to support our
culture and arts...
To read the whole debate, OPEN HERE
