My Lords, under Conservative-led Governments, the EBacc and Progress 8 worked to squeeze music out of the curriculum. Recruitment targets for music teacher training were missed for 11 out of 12 years. In fact, the number of music teachers fell by 850 between 2011 and 2023. I am sure that the Labour Government’s reforms will strengthen provision, but the music curriculum is also constrained by music teacher workforce supply, which is fundamentally a question of unequal opportunity to choose music as a subject. Will my noble friend the Minister look again at teacher training incentives, such as the bursary, and at re-establishing ambitious recruitment targets?

My Lords, under Conservative-led Governments, the EBacc and Progress 8 worked to squeeze music out of the curriculum. Recruitment targets for music teacher training were missed for 11 out of 12 years. In fact, the number of music teachers fell by 850 between 2011 and 2023. I am sure that the Labour Government’s reforms will strengthen provision, but the music curriculum is also constrained by music teacher workforce supply, which is fundamentally a question of unequal opportunity to choose music as a subject. Will my noble friend the Minister look again at teacher training incentives, such as the bursary, and at re-establishing ambitious recruitment targets?

To ask His Majesty’s Government what steps, if any, they are taking to recruit more music teachers to bridge the gap caused by missed recruitment targets in past years.

To ask His Majesty’s Government what steps, if any, they are taking to recruit more music teachers to bridge the gap caused by missed recruitment targets in past years.

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effectiveness of the T Level-model for creative subjects; and what consideration they have given to making changes to improve the applicability of T Levels for creative subjects and the creative industries.

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effectiveness of the T Level-model for creative subjects; and what consideration they have given to making changes to improve the applicability of T Levels for creative subjects and the creative industries.

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact on the creative talent pipeline of expanding post-16 creative provision within T-levels; and whether the current T-level model is suitable for the nature of creative subjects.

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact on the creative talent pipeline of expanding post-16 creative provision within T-levels; and whether the current T-level model is suitable for the nature of creative subjects.

My Lords, more than six out of 10 schools with the highest level of disadvantage entered no pupils for GCSE music in 2024-25, compared to just one in 10 of the least disadvantaged. The Primary Winds Programme at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire helps to address this gap at primary level by offering free instrument loans, bursaries for beginners from low-income families and sustained musical training on Saturdays. What targeted action of that sort will the Government take to ensure that many more children from disadvantaged areas have the benefit of musical tuition in their school?

My Lords, more than six out of 10 schools with the highest level of disadvantage entered no pupils for GCSE music in 2024-25, compared to just one in 10 of the least disadvantaged. The Primary Winds Programme at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire helps to address this gap at primary level by offering free instrument loans, bursaries for beginners from low-income families and sustained musical training on Saturdays. What targeted action of that sort will the Government take to ensure that many more children from disadvantaged areas have the benefit of musical tuition in their school?

To ask His Majesty’s Government what actions they intend to take to reduce the attainment gap in music for disadvantaged pupils in state schools.

To ask His Majesty’s Government what actions they intend to take to reduce the attainment gap in music for disadvantaged pupils in state schools.

My Lords, I cannot really compete with what has been said about dance specialisation because I ceased my dance classes at three. I want to expand a little on the music and dance scheme in schools, and I have raised this with my noble friend the Minister before. She knows that they are calling for the restoration of three-year settlements and an increase in funding, which has been frozen or increased by under inflation since 2011. It is so difficult for the schools when the budgets are not finalised, or are finalised so late, because schools are having to take a gamble on what their funding will be, and they can lose prospective students who will not gamble on taking up a place with that uncertainty. Can my noble friend give us another assurance about the future of this scheme and the level of its funding?

My Lords, I cannot really compete with what has been said about dance specialisation because I ceased my dance classes at three. I want to expand a little on the music and dance scheme in schools, and I have raised this with my noble friend the Minister before. She knows that they are calling for the restoration of three-year settlements and an increase in funding, which has been frozen or increased by under inflation since 2011. It is so difficult for the schools when the budgets are not finalised, or are finalised so late, because schools are having to take a gamble on what their funding will be, and they can lose prospective students who will not gamble on taking up a place with that uncertainty. Can my noble friend give us another assurance about the future of this scheme and the level of its funding?

My Lords, the Music and Dance Scheme schools, such as Chetham’s in Manchester and the Hammond school in Chester, give talented children from disadvantaged backgrounds access to world-class training. These eight schools are a success story, yet their future is endangered after funding was frozen or cut in real terms from 2010 to 2024. Without renewed investment, this pathway will disappear, reinforcing the class ceiling we are discussing. Can the Minister confirm whether additional funding will be found so that these schools can continue their vital specialist educational work?

My Lords, the Music and Dance Scheme schools, such as Chetham’s in Manchester and the Hammond school in Chester, give talented children from disadvantaged backgrounds access to world-class training. These eight schools are a success story, yet their future is endangered after funding was frozen or cut in real terms from 2010 to 2024. Without renewed investment, this pathway will disappear, reinforcing the class ceiling we are discussing. Can the Minister confirm whether additional funding will be found so that these schools can continue their vital specialist educational work?

My Lords, I join the noble Lord, Lord Black, in welcoming the news that he mentioned and highlighting the importance of intellectual property and the UK’s copyright regime. Other jurisdictions are now moving away from weakening copyright. Australia has ruled out new exceptions, creators are prevailing in cases in the US courts and EU policymakers are exploring stronger rights. Does my noble friend the Minister accept that weakening UK copyright law now would be economically and

strategically misguided, just as the value of high-quality creative content is becoming clearer to AI developers and legislators worldwide?

My Lords, I join the noble Lord, Lord Black, in welcoming the news that he mentioned and highlighting the importance of intellectual property and the UK’s copyright regime. Other jurisdictions are now moving away from weakening copyright. Australia has ruled out new exceptions, creators are prevailing in cases in the US courts and EU policymakers are exploring stronger rights. Does my noble friend the Minister accept that weakening UK copyright law now would be economically and

strategically misguided, just as the value of high-quality creative content is becoming clearer to AI developers and legislators worldwide?

I thank my noble friend the Minister for that response. In earlier debates, noble Lords have raised concerns that funding for this vital scheme has been frozen or increased only below inflation since 2011-12, and since 2022 grants have been limited to a one-year settlement. The eight music and dance scheme schools are currently auditioning pupils for entry later this year. The Hammond school in Chester told me that last year 30% of the pupils offered a music and dance scheme-supported place ultimately declined, despite meeting the talent threshold and wanting to attend. Families mainly cited uncertainty about the scheme’s long-term funding, particularly beyond the first year. Talented children from low-income families are not progressing to the specialist training that they need because the financial risk is now too great. Can my noble friend the Minister assure me that this loss of future talent in dance and music can be prevented through more secure funding of the scheme?

I thank my noble friend the Minister for that response. In earlier debates, noble Lords have raised concerns that funding for this vital scheme has been frozen or increased only below inflation since 2011-12, and since 2022 grants have been limited to a one-year settlement. The eight music and dance scheme schools are currently auditioning pupils for entry later this year. The Hammond school in Chester told me that last year 30% of the pupils offered a music and dance scheme-supported place ultimately declined, despite meeting the talent threshold and wanting to attend. Families mainly cited uncertainty about the scheme’s long-term funding, particularly beyond the first year. Talented children from low-income families are not progressing to the specialist training that they need because the financial risk is now too great. Can my noble friend the Minister assure me that this loss of future talent in dance and music can be prevented through more secure funding of the scheme?

To ask His Majesty’s Government whether they plan to review the funding of the Music and Dance Scheme to ensure schools can continue to support talented children from families with lower incomes.

To ask His Majesty’s Government whether they plan to review the funding of the Music and Dance Scheme to ensure schools can continue to support talented children from families with lower incomes.

My Lords, music hubs play a key role in teaching music in state schools, so they play a key role in social mobility for the careers in music, stage, film and theatre that we are talking about. The management of music hubs is the subject of a tender that was due to be placed currently but has now been postponed until the new year. I know this is causing concern, so can my noble friend the Minister talk to our noble friend Lady Smith, who is sitting next to her, to ensure that the tender and the setting up of the national centre for arts and music education go ahead as planned?

My Lords, music hubs play a key role in teaching music in state schools, so they play a key role in social mobility for the careers in music, stage, film and theatre that we are talking about. The management of music hubs is the subject of a tender that was due to be placed currently but has now been postponed until the new year. I know this is causing concern, so can my noble friend the Minister talk to our noble friend Lady Smith, who is sitting next to her, to ensure that the tender and the setting up of the national centre for arts and music education go ahead as planned?

To ask His Majesty’s Government what action they will take to support an increase in the numbers training to be teachers of music, drama, art and design, and dance.

To ask His Majesty’s Government what action they will take to support an increase in the numbers training to be teachers of music, drama, art and design, and dance.

I thank my noble friend for her Answer. The undervaluing of music in state schools by successive Conservative-led Governments since 2010 led to the loss of over 850 full-time equivalent music teachers since 2011; high vacancy rates and poor retention rates of music teachers, with only two-thirds of those who qualified five years ago still teaching; and music teacher recruitment targets being missed 11 times in 12 years. There is a great deal for the Labour Government to do. Sustained bursary funding for initial teacher training has shown more stable recruiting. Can my noble friend look at reinvesting in the music teacher training bursary and then sustaining it for a number of years? That must be backed by Ministers who emphasise the central place of that music teacher training bursary rather than just those for science and maths.

I thank my noble friend for her Answer. The undervaluing of music in state schools by successive Conservative-led Governments since 2010 led to the loss of over 850 full-time equivalent music teachers since 2011; high vacancy rates and poor retention rates of music teachers, with only two-thirds of those who qualified five years ago still teaching; and music teacher recruitment targets being missed 11 times in 12 years. There is a great deal for the Labour Government to do. Sustained bursary funding for initial teacher training has shown more stable recruiting. Can my noble friend look at reinvesting in the music teacher training bursary and then sustaining it for a number of years? That must be backed by Ministers who emphasise the central place of that music teacher training bursary rather than just those for science and maths.

To ask His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact of introducing a fee for musical instrument certificates on touring orchestras and musicians, as proposed in the open consultation on reforming domestic implementation of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.

To ask His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact of introducing a fee for musical instrument certificates on touring orchestras and musicians, as proposed in the open consultation on reforming domestic implementation of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.

My Lords, I thank the Minister for that Answer. It is very welcome that the Prime Minister made pledges to help our touring artists as part of improving the UK’s trade relationship with the EU, because since Brexit, UK musicians touring the EU have had many extra costs, including for visas, work permits and carnets. Can my noble friend assure me that her department will now look again at its proposal to start charging for applications for musical instrument certificates, which would add to those barriers for touring musicians? I also ask that it looks again at proposals to introduce civil sanctions, which would mean musicians travelling without a certificate, or even with a certificate not correctly stamped at the border, would become liable for a financial penalty.

My Lords, I thank the Minister for that Answer. It is very welcome that the Prime Minister made pledges to help our touring artists as part of improving the UK’s trade relationship with the EU, because since Brexit, UK musicians touring the EU have had many extra costs, including for visas, work permits and carnets. Can my noble friend assure me that her department will now look again at its proposal to start charging for applications for musical instrument certificates, which would add to those barriers for touring musicians? I also ask that it looks again at proposals to introduce civil sanctions, which would mean musicians travelling without a certificate, or even with a certificate not correctly stamped at the border, would become liable for a financial penalty.

Perhaps I may add to the question that I raised earlier. The musical instrument certificate is a very small part of CITES, and for the burden it will put on musicians, it will not raise very much money. Could that be an additional part of the consideration?

Perhaps I may add to the question that I raised earlier. The musical instrument certificate is a very small part of CITES, and for the burden it will put on musicians, it will not raise very much money. Could that be an additional part of the consideration?

My Lords, before the EU-UK summit in May, I raised the issue of withholding tax which impacts our orchestras when they tour in Germany, Spain and Italy. In Germany, withholding tax is reclaimable, but it can take two years to be refunded. One orchestra has £200,000 outstanding and will shortly claim another £50,000 but then have to wait two years. Removing or reforming Article 17 of the UK’s tax treaties with the EU or its member states could help to resolve this. Can my noble friend the Minister tell me whether our Government will try to find a resolution of this vital issue, which is having such a detrimental impact on the cash flow of British orchestras touring to the EU?

My Lords, before the EU-UK summit in May, I raised the issue of withholding tax which impacts our orchestras when they tour in Germany, Spain and Italy. In Germany, withholding tax is reclaimable, but it can take two years to be refunded. One orchestra has £200,000 outstanding and will shortly claim another £50,000 but then have to wait two years. Removing or reforming Article 17 of the UK’s tax treaties with the EU or its member states could help to resolve this. Can my noble friend the Minister tell me whether our Government will try to find a resolution of this vital issue, which is having such a detrimental impact on the cash flow of British orchestras touring to the EU?

To ask His Majesty’s Government whether they will continue to invest in the Music and Dance Scheme, including in the National Dance Centres for Advanced Training programme, to support dance careers for young people from deprived backgrounds.

To ask His Majesty’s Government whether they will continue to invest in the Music and Dance Scheme, including in the National Dance Centres for Advanced Training programme, to support dance careers for young people from deprived backgrounds.

I thank my noble friend the Minister for her reply. I, too, welcome that DfE has confirmed the continued funding for bursaries, at least for 2025-26. However, there is no commitment beyond 2026 and DfE did cut the outreach funding for the schemes earlier this year. Can my noble friend tell me what steps the Government will take to ensure that young people from rural or economically disadvantaged areas continue to have equal access to dance training, given that short-term funding cycles create instability in delivery, and that outreach funding has already been cut?

I thank my noble friend the Minister for her reply. I, too, welcome that DfE has confirmed the continued funding for bursaries, at least for 2025-26. However, there is no commitment beyond 2026 and DfE did cut the outreach funding for the schemes earlier this year. Can my noble friend tell me what steps the Government will take to ensure that young people from rural or economically disadvantaged areas continue to have equal access to dance training, given that short-term funding cycles create instability in delivery, and that outreach funding has already been cut?