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My Lords, I look forward to the maiden speech of the noble Baroness, Lady Mackenzie of Sherwood. I note that a DCMS Minister is answering an education debate; I hope that is a sign that joined-up thinking is finally going to be a thing. I very much support every part...
My Lords, I look forward to the maiden speech of the noble Baroness, Lady Mackenzie of Sherwood. I note that a DCMS Minister is answering an education debate; I hope that is a sign that joined-up thinking is finally going to be a thing. I very much support every part...
To ask His Majesty's Government how much higher education subject courses cost for each of the strategic priority grant groups A, B, C and D; and what is the cut-off point between each group in monetary terms.
To ask His Majesty's Government how much higher education subject courses cost for each of the strategic priority grant groups A, B, C and D; and what is the cut-off point between each group in monetary terms.
My Lords, far from being “challenging”, as the previous Secretary of State put it, this is a disastrous decision that will further imperil higher education arts courses already under threat from closure. It is at odds with the industrial strategy’s commitment to the creative industries and the concerns of Skills England, including those skills combining creativity and new technology. Does the Minister agree that increases in tuition fees are not relevant, since that will affect all courses equally? Will the Government reconsider this decision and instead formulate a strategy which will improve access to creative subjects in higher education?
My Lords, far from being “challenging”, as the previous Secretary of State put it, this is a disastrous decision that will further imperil higher education arts courses already under threat from closure. It is at odds with the industrial strategy’s commitment to the creative industries and the concerns of Skills England, including those skills combining creativity and new technology. Does the Minister agree that increases in tuition fees are not relevant, since that will affect all courses equally? Will the Government reconsider this decision and instead formulate a strategy which will improve access to creative subjects in higher education?
I understand the disappointment in this decision, but to be clear about the scale, we are talking about the removal of £130 per student for those taking some creative and arts subjects. That is roughly 1% of the contribution towards those subjects. A £6 billion increase in the income to higher education that comes from the decisions this Government have made about tuition fees is not insignificant; it is by far the biggest part of the funding for all higher education courses, including those in creative and performing arts.
To ask His Majesty’s Government what plans they have to review the decision to cut funding to creative and performing arts teaching grants in universities.
To ask His Majesty’s Government what plans they have to review the decision to cut funding to creative and performing arts teaching grants in universities.
My Lords, decisions on the strategic priorities grant for academic year 2026-27 reflect the challenging fiscal position and not the value we place on creative and performing arts courses. We recognise the important contribution that the disciplines make to our cultural life and economy. We have had to prioritise funding towards the highest-cost subjects and areas facing the most acute skills shortages, while protecting £57.1 million of funding for world-leading specialist providers, including 12 arts institutions.
To ask His Majesty's Government whether their new right to work checks will apply to (1) artists, (2) bands, and (3) theatre troupes, undertaking short UK tours without visas; and, if so, what plans they have to waive the checks for these groups.
To ask His Majesty's Government whether their new right to work checks will apply to (1) artists, (2) bands, and (3) theatre troupes, undertaking short UK tours without visas; and, if so, what plans they have to waive the checks for these groups.
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether there is an operational conflict between their new right to work checks and the permitted paid engagement route for artists; and what plans they have to consult the live entertainment sector on any such conflict.
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether there is an operational conflict between their new right to work checks and the permitted paid engagement route for artists; and what plans they have to consult the live entertainment sector on any such conflict.
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have, as part of their current review of National Lottery funding, to promote public awareness of the good causes that the National Lottery supports locally, including at points of purchase such as local retailers.
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have, as part of their current review of National Lottery funding, to promote public awareness of the good causes that the National Lottery supports locally, including at points of purchase such as local retailers.
To ask His Majesty's Government when the next UK-EU Summit is scheduled to take place.
To ask His Majesty's Government when the next UK-EU Summit is scheduled to take place.
To ask His Majesty’s Government what action they plan to take in response to the report commissioned by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, The economic benefits of touring and impact of EU exit.
To ask His Majesty’s Government what action they plan to take in response to the report commissioned by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, The economic benefits of touring and impact of EU exit.
The report provides important new evidence on the economic and practical impacts of EU exit on UK artists touring in the EU for both the UK and the EU. We remain committed to our manifesto pledge and will
use the report to strengthen the case that practical solutions will deliver benefits to both the UK and the EU alike. We are sharing the findings of European partners and the Cultural Exchange Coalition to allow them to be used in engagement with European counterparts.
My Lords, I give all credit to the Government for commissioning what is a devastating report, if predictably so. Will the Government use the detail of this report to inform the next UK-EU summit, including especially the significant effect of Brexit on the creative economies of EU member states? Clearly, we need to stress the mutual benefits of sorting out what, frankly, should have been sorted out years ago.
My Lords, I give all credit to the Government for commissioning what is a devastating report, if predictably so. Will the Government use the detail of this report to inform the next UK-EU summit, including especially the significant effect of Brexit on the creative economies of EU member states? Clearly, we need to stress the mutual benefits of sorting out what, frankly, should have been sorted out years ago.
The report does indeed provide evidence of an issue many noble Lords have raised with me, and the sector has raised with the Government: the impact of the post-Brexit restrictions on artists. The report provides new evidence of the impact on UK artists and on the EU itself—significant amounts of income are lost as a result. We will ensure that its findings inform our engagement with European partners as we continue to pursue practical improvements for touring artists. As the noble Earl will understand, the agenda for the UK-EU summit has not yet been finalised and it would not be appropriate to pre-empt discussions between the UK and the EU on its contents.
To ask His Majesty's Government on what basis they have removed Strategic Priorities Grant Funding for arts courses for the 2026–27 academic year.
To ask His Majesty's Government on what basis they have removed Strategic Priorities Grant Funding for arts courses for the 2026–27 academic year.
The government recognises the importance of creative and performing arts courses delivered by higher education (HE) institutions. However, funding decisions for the Strategic Priorities Grant (SPG) must prioritise subjects with the highest delivery costs.
Decisions on SPG funding were taken in the context of a highly challenging fiscal environment. For the 2025/26 academic year, funding through the SPG for creative and performing arts courses was around £130 per full-time equivalent student, or just over 1% of total funding provided by government when tuition fees are considered. Arts courses will also benefit from increases in tuition fee limits in line with inflation.
The government’s support for HE arts provision is reflected by our continued investment in the 20 specialist providers identified by the Office for Students as world leading, which will receive £57 million via the SPG in the 2026/27 academic year. Of this group, 12 providers solely focus on the creative and performing arts.
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To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to providing business rates relief for recording studios.
To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to providing business rates relief for recording studios.
New multipliers for retail, hospitality, and leisure (RHL) were announced at Budget 2024. Government has been clear that the intention was for their scope to broadly reflect the scope of the RHL relief, which was centred around RHL properties that are “reasonably accessible to visiting members of the public”. As recording studios are not generally open to members of the public, they were unlikely to be receiving RHL relief.
In recognition of the impact of the 2026 revaluation on bills, the Government introduced a support package worth £4.3 billion at Budget 2025 to protect ratepayers against large overnight increases in bills. Additionally, many recording studios are also likely to benefit from Small Business Rates Relief (SBRR). SBRR is available to businesses with a single property below a set rateable value. Eligible properties under £12,000 receive 100 per cent relief, which means around a third of properties in England pay no business rates at all. Tapered support is available to properties valued between £12,000 and £15,000.
To ask His Majesty's Government what progress they have made towards agreeing the UK–EU Youth Experience Scheme.
To ask His Majesty's Government what progress they have made towards agreeing the UK–EU Youth Experience Scheme.
The UK and EU agreed that we will work towards the establishment of a balanced Youth Experience Scheme.
We have agreed that any scheme will be capped, subject to a visa requirement and time-limited, but the exact parameters are subject to ongoing discussions.
We are working towards concluding negotiations on the Youth Experience Scheme by the time of the next EU-UK summit.
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to enable UK craftspeople to showcase their work at exhibitions in Europe; and whether this topic will be on the agenda at the next UK–EU Summit.
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to enable UK craftspeople to showcase their work at exhibitions in Europe; and whether this topic will be on the agenda at the next UK–EU Summit.
On 20 July, the Prime Minister spoke to António Costa, President of the European Council, and agreed their respective teams would work closely towards a UK-EU Summit later in the year; the agenda has not yet been agreed.
This Government is committed to supporting the Creative Industries, including the crafts sector. Our UK-wide Creative Industries Sector Plan features international engagement as a core component, recognising the importance of exports, inward investment and global collaboration to the sector’s continued success.
The Government is also committed to supporting more UK crafts businesses to become export-ready, access new markets and benefit from trade agreements, although we are alive to the barriers many face. We are continuing to work across government to explore how we can better support the sector's needs, including improving awareness of existing mobility schemes; identifying where clearer export guidance may be helpful; and considering opportunities for future engagement with our EU counterparts on issues such as cultural exchange.
To ask His Majesty's Government whether the concerns of (1) touring, and (2) temporary and permanent work positions for, performing and other artists will be on the agenda at the next UK-EU Summit.
To ask His Majesty's Government whether the concerns of (1) touring, and (2) temporary and permanent work positions for, performing and other artists will be on the agenda at the next UK-EU Summit.
On 20 July, the Prime Minister spoke to António Costa, President of the European Council, and agreed their respective teams would work closely towards a UK-EU Summit later in the year; the agenda has not yet been agreed.
Securing better access to the EU for our creative and cultural sectors is a priority for this Government, and helping touring artists is a manifesto commitment.
We have continued to build on the commitment made last May at the inaugural UK-EU Summit through sustained engagement with the European Commission and Member States, ensuring that the practical challenges for UK artists operating across the EU are well understood. Alongside tackling these operational challenges, we remain vocal supporters of the vast cultural and economic benefits our creative industries provide to audiences, venues, and regional economies across both areas. The Government is dedicated to pursuing pragmatic, dual-benefit solutions that serve both UK and EU sectors.
To ask His Majesty's Government when they expect to announce the appointment of a creative freelance champion, as proposed in their Creative Industries sector plan.
To ask His Majesty's Government when they expect to announce the appointment of a creative freelance champion, as proposed in their Creative Industries sector plan.
We committed in the Creative Industries Sector Plan to appoint a Freelance Champion, who will advocate for the creative sector’s freelancers within government and be a member of the Creative Industries Council. We will announce the appointment very soon.
Our priority has been that we take the time to get the role and appointment of the Freelance Champion right. As this is a new role, we have spent time working closely with the sector to develop the role’s remit, identify the priorities within that, and understand how the roleholder will engage with the sector once in post. We are working through the details and will be able to share more once the appointment has been announced.
To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to forgiving the Covid loan issued to the British Council in July 2020.
To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to forgiving the Covid loan issued to the British Council in July 2020.
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) remains committed to recovering the loan when the British Council's finances allow, consistent with the requirements of the UK's subsidy control regime. We continue to work closely with the British Council and His Majesty's Treasury on the long-term restructuring of the loan and will update Parliament formally in due course. I also refer the Noble Lord to the evidence provided to the Public Accounts Committee on 2 July 2026 by the interim Permanent Under-Secretary, where these issues were discussed in greater depth.
My Lords—
My Lords—
My Lords, perhaps the most intractable problem is that of work for artists in Europe, whether temporary or permanent. As the noble Lord, Lord Berkeley, said, this is affecting not just musicians but dancers and actors, who often fall at the first hurdle because they do not possess an EU passport. For many artists, a position in Europe has been an essential part of their career development. Will the Government ensure that this, alongside all the other concerns, will be on the agenda at the next UK-EU summit?
My Lords, perhaps the most intractable problem is that of work for artists in Europe, whether temporary or permanent. As the noble Lord, Lord Berkeley, said, this is affecting not just musicians but dancers and actors, who often fall at the first hurdle because they do not possess an EU passport. For many artists, a position in Europe has been an essential part of their career development. Will the Government ensure that this, alongside all the other concerns, will be on the agenda at the next UK-EU summit?
I do recognise how some creative professionals have found it more difficult to take up opportunities in Europe, as practical barriers, including whether they have an EU passport, can have a disproportionate impact. That is why we are working with the European Commission and member states. The Government remain 100% committed to resolving this issue and to improving opportunities for UK artists of all ages to access European audiences and develop international experiences, recognising the cultural and economic value that those exchanges bring.
My Lords, we see from the polls that have been done that the use of a visitor levy for the support of museums, theatres and other tourist attractions would be popular, not least because most visitors to our cities, whether domestic or international, come for the arts and culture. I hear what the Minister says about decision-making, but does he appreciate the helpful circularity, in that support for our culture in this way would further stimulate hospitality, including the hotel and restaurant trades?
My Lords, we see from the polls that have been done that the use of a visitor levy for the support of museums, theatres and other tourist attractions would be popular, not least because most visitors to our cities, whether domestic or international, come for the arts and culture. I hear what the Minister says about decision-making, but does he appreciate the helpful circularity, in that support for our culture in this way would further stimulate hospitality, including the hotel and restaurant trades?
I absolutely agree with that, and I should declare my interest as a former chair of English Heritage, so I have first-hand experience of these matters. The costs of visitor attractions are what economists call externalities, and this visitor levy will help redress them.