Asked by: Baroness Bonham-Carter of Yarnbury (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what support is available to UK musicians navigating CITES requirements when touring in Europe.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
CITES support is provided to the public, including musicians touring in Europe, via guidance on GOV.UK (www.gov.uk/guidance/cites-imports-and-exports) (copy attached).
Specific queries can be directed to the APHA CITES team Wildlife Licensing mailbox (wildlife.licensing@apha.gov.uk) or by calling the APHA enquiries line (03000 200 301). UK CITES Authorities also hold regular forums for CITES stakeholders which includes music industry representatives and unions to provide them with support and guidance on specific queries to share with their memberships.
The Government has no plans to establish a dedicated advisory service for performers travelling with instruments that include regulated materials.
Asked by: Baroness Bonham-Carter of Yarnbury (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to establish a dedicated advisory service for performers travelling with instruments that include regulated materials.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
CITES support is provided to the public, including musicians touring in Europe, via guidance on GOV.UK (www.gov.uk/guidance/cites-imports-and-exports) (copy attached).
Specific queries can be directed to the APHA CITES team Wildlife Licensing mailbox (wildlife.licensing@apha.gov.uk) or by calling the APHA enquiries line (03000 200 301). UK CITES Authorities also hold regular forums for CITES stakeholders which includes music industry representatives and unions to provide them with support and guidance on specific queries to share with their memberships.
The Government has no plans to establish a dedicated advisory service for performers travelling with instruments that include regulated materials.
Asked by: Baroness Bonham-Carter of Yarnbury (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what recent progress has been made in negotiations relating to cultural mobility, with particular reference to CITES-regulated instruments moving between the UK and EU.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Government has reset the UK’s relationship with the EU, and committed to help our touring artists in our manifesto. This is in full recognition of the challenges that touring artists, and their support staff, face when touring in Europe. Our aim is to identify practical solutions to ensure that UK artists can continue to perform across Europe with minimal barriers while respecting the regulatory frameworks on both sides.
At the inaugural UK-EU Summit, the UK and European Commission committed to supporting UK-EU cultural exchange, recognising the activities of touring artists. This is in the UK’s national interest, and the EU’s interest.
By ensuring artists and crew can tour more easily, we can support shared economic growth, job creation, and artistic innovation across our continent.
Therefore, we will continue to engage constructively with the EU and Member States to explore solutions that improve mobility arrangements for touring across Europe.
Specifically on CITES, The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) recently consulted on potential reforms to the UK’s CITES framework, including Musical Instrument Certificates, with the aim of ensuring the system is clear, proportionate, and effective.
This consultation provided the opportunity for the music sector to make its voice heard directly on the proposals for fees, charges, and processes, ensuring the unique needs of touring artists are fully reflected in the outcome. The consultation closed on 23 October 2025, and responses are currently being analysed by Defra. The outcome of the consultation, and associated amendments, will be discussed and reviewed across Government.
DCMS will continue working closely with Defra and other partners, including the EU, to ensure the impacts on the music sector are properly understood and considered.
Asked by: Baroness Bonham-Carter of Yarnbury (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the dangers of state-sponsored disinformation.
Answered by Baroness Lloyd of Effra - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The government recognises the serious threat posed by state-sponsored disinformation and has a number of tools available to respond and protect against these threats. For example, the Foreign Interference Offence in the National Security Act is now a priority offence in the Online Safety Act, requiring companies to act against a range of state-linked disinformation online targeting the UK.
In addition, the Defending Democracy Taskforce was established in November 2022. Its mission statement is to reduce the risk of foreign interference to the UK’s democratic processes, institutions, and society, and ensure that these are secure and resilient to threats of foreign interference.
Asked by: Baroness Bonham-Carter of Yarnbury (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have for continued investment in the BBC World Service.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
I refer the Noble Lady to the answer I provided on 24 June 2025 to Question HL8298.
Asked by: Baroness Bonham-Carter of Yarnbury (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to provide funding to support the continued operation beyond June 2026 of (1) the National Glass Centre, and (2) the Northern Gallery for Contemporary Art; and when they last discussed the future of those galleries with (a) Sunderland City Council, and (b) Sunderland Culture.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The government is aware of the challenges the National Glass Centre is facing. How these challenges are managed, and decisions about its future, are a matter for the University of Sunderland and its partners, as the owner of the building.
Sunderland Culture is currently in discussion with the University about the Northern Gallery for Contemporary Art’s (NGCA) future programme. These talks include exploring how to continue the city-wide approach to displaying the collection, which is currently exhibited in City Hall and The Beam. The University is also looking to lease space within Culture House as a potential permanent home for the NGCA. In addition, Arts Council England (ACE), an arm’s-length body of government, is working with Sunderland Culture and Sunderland City Council to help preserve the city’s glass-making heritage and skills for future generations.
In January 2025 Sunderland Culture was awarded £5 million from the Government’s Cultural Development Fund for Glassworks, a new world class facility for glass making in Sunderland that will connect the city’s 1,350 years of glass-making heritage. ACE delivers the Cultural Development Fund on behalf of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
Asked by: Baroness Bonham-Carter of Yarnbury (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government when the Department of Education’s tendering process will take place for the Dance and Drama Awards scheme for academic year 2026–27 onwards, and whether they anticipate any delays to their usual timeframe.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The department hopes to soon announce the tendering arrangements for the Dance and Drama Awards scheme for 2026/27 academic year onwards. Funding for the 2026/27 academic year onwards is subject to the forthcoming spending review.
Asked by: Baroness Bonham-Carter of Yarnbury (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, with reference to their consultation on copyright and artificial intelligence (CP1205), what evidence they used to assess the function of the licensing market as it pertains to copyright data and the training of AI models.
Answered by Lord Vallance of Balham - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government published a consultation on Copyright and AI in December 2024.
This consultation seeks views on proposals which seek to better facilitate licensing agreements between rights holders and AI developers, and whether more should be done to support good licensing practice.
The Government recognises that this is a complex area and welcomes all views and evidence on the function of the licensing market, to help shape its thinking.
The consultation closes on 25 February.
Asked by: Baroness Bonham-Carter of Yarnbury (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask His Majesty's Government, with reference to their consultation on copyright and artificial intelligence (CP1205), what assessment they have made of the effectiveness of rights reservation mechanisms introduced by the EU.
Answered by Lord Vallance of Balham - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government published a consultation on Copyright and AI in December 2024.
This consultation is seeking views on a similar approach to the EU’s, which many AI firms and right holders are already familiar with. However, we recognise that there is more work to do on technical standards and transparency before a rights reservation model can be considered workable for right holders and AI developers alike. We will use responses to the consultation to inform work on this detail and bring forward firm proposals.
The consultation closes on 25 February.
Asked by: Baroness Bonham-Carter of Yarnbury (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effectiveness of transparency obligations on AI firms introduced by the EU.
Answered by Lord Vallance of Balham - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The EU is developing its requirements for AI firms under the EU AI Act.
We recognise the importance of international collaboration on AI in order to drive safe, responsible innovation and continue to work closely with the EU and other international partners on AI to understand their approaches. This includes through bilateral relationships as well as through multilateral and multi-stakeholder initiatives, including the upcoming AI Action Summit in Paris.