Touring Musicians:
Reciprocal Visa-free Travel
(Glasgow Central) (SNP)
What offer his Department (a) made to and (b) received from the
EU on reciprocal visa-free travel for touring musicians during
negotiations on the future relationship with the EU.
(Lanark and
Hamilton East) (SNP)
What offer his Department (a) made to and (b) received from the
EU on reciprocal visa-free travel for touring musicians during
negotiations on the future relationship with the EU.
(Ochil and South Perthshire) (SNP)
What offer his Department (a) made to and (b) received from the
EU on reciprocal visa-free travel for touring musicians during
negotiations on the future relationship with the EU.
The Paymaster General ()
The Government proposed to the EU that musicians and their
technical staff be added to the list of permitted activities for
short-term business visitors in the “entry and temporary stay”
chapter of the trade and co-operation agreement. That would have
allowed musicians and their staff to travel and perform in the EU
more easily without needing work permits. The proposals were
developed following consultation with the EU’s creative
industries, but were rejected by the EU.
[V]
The UK’s music industry is worth £5.8 billion annually and
supports 200,000 jobs, so for a Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
Minister to suggest recently that a touring visa was not
compatible with Brexit goals has caused huge anger and
frustration to many of my constituents who work in the sector and
are seeing no benefits of Brexit, only additional costs and red
tape. What is the Minister doing to secure reciprocal visa-free
travel for those in our creative industries whose careers and
jobs depend on it?
We continue to work with the EU Commission and member states to
ensure that we can have the kind of opportunities that the hon.
Lady describes. In the meantime, we do want to support the
sector, which is why the Department for Digital, Culture, Media
and Sport has set up the £1.57 billion cultural recovery fund,
which is currently supporting 75,000 jobs.
[V]
Radiohead have called this Government “spineless”. Whether it is
Elton John, Ronan Keating or Brian Cox, there is a continuing
all-star line-up of some of our biggest exports who are
emphasising the importance of touring for musicians at all stages
of their careers. How does the Minister feel about the prospect
of major acts deciding that they need base themselves abroad
because our parochial laws do not allow the movement needed to
compete on the global stage?
It is not about our parochial laws. During the negotiations, the
EU tabled text regarding paid activities that can be conducted
without a visa. Those proposals would not have addressed our arts
sector’s concerns; they did not deal with work permits at all and
would not have allowed support staff to tour with artists. The
only way we are going to get movement on this issue is to get the
EU to agree to our very reasonable proposals. I urge everyone,
whether they are politicians or from the cultural sector, to work
with us to persuade our counterparts of our common-sense
approach.
[V]
Brexit chaos is not just impacting bands and orchestras in the
music industry. Given prohibitive new Brexit visa costs, they
will need to begin hiring crew and equipment from European
suppliers. What hope does the Minister offer those who face
losing work because of Brexit?
We are, through DCMS, providing support to the sector. We want to
get these issues resolved, but in the meantime we want to do all
we can to support businesses and artists, whether they have been
impacted because of travel restrictions or the pandemic. That is
why DCMS has set up a new forum to work with the sector, to
listen to its needs and to act on them, and obviously the
Scottish Government are part of that.
