Creative Industries: Qualifications

Baroness Kingsmill Excerpts

Thursday 23rd July 2026 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Kingsmill (Lab)]

My Lords, I am delighted to participate in this debate. I am by no means an expert in the field that we are debating; I know very little about creative qualifications, but I have been involved in the creative industries for most of my career. My first career, I suppose, before I became a lawyer, was in the fashion industry, where I spent seven years working with designers, photographers and all sorts of other creative people. I declare an interest in that I am currently back in the fashion industry, and have been for the last 10 years, as a director at Inditex—otherwise known as Zara. Furthermore, I declare an interest in this specific area as a trustee of the Conran Foundation. I have also been a board member at the Design Museum for many years.

The United Kingdom has for a very long time enjoyed the reputation of being one of the greatest creative economies in the world, yet we too often discuss it as though it were simply a matter of cultural interest, rather than a strategic national asset. The facts tell a different story. Our creative industries now contribute almost £126 billion to the economy, support around 2.4 million jobs and generate a substantial trade surplus through exports of services, intellectual property and digital content. They are growing significantly faster than the economy as a whole and are rightly recognised by the Government as one of the United Kingdom’s priority growth sectors.

These industries are also a powerful source of Britain’s soft power. Around the world, people know this country through our music, theatre, film, television, architecture—which has not yet been mentioned—publishing, design, fashion and, increasingly, digital creativity. They strengthen tourism, attract investment and encourage talented people to study, work and collaborate here.

That success, however, depends on one essential ingredient: people. If we wish to remain a global leader in the creative industries, we must ensure that talented young people continue to have clear and credible routes into creative careers. That is why level 3 qualifications matter so greatly. I welcome the Government’s recognition that a broader pathway is needed alongside A-levels and T-levels. The proposed introduction of V-levels represents an important acknowledgement that creative careers rarely follow a single, narrow occupational route.

But qualifications alone will not guarantee success. We must ensure that creative education continues to value practical learning. We must recognise that portfolio development, collaborative projects and interdisciplinary skills matter just as much. We must further recognise that many creative businesses are, as has been mentioned, small, project-based or freelance and must also be part of the system. It should not be that only large employers should be considered.

Above all, we have to avoid an unintended contradiction in public policy. If the Government identify the creative industries as a priority growth sector within their industrial strategy, the education system must actively support the pipeline of talent on which that strategy depends. Creative education should therefore be seen not as a cost but as an investment in one of Britain’s strongest competitive advantages. Investment in studios, specialist teachers, technical facilities and high-quality vocational pathways should be regarded in precisely the same light as investment in scientific research, advanced manufacturing or digital infrastructure. Our competitors certainly understand that. If Britain wishes to remain a world leader in creativity and innovation, we cannot simply celebrate past success; we must continually renew the talent that sustains it.

I therefore hope that Ministers will continue to ensure that qualification reform, industrial strategy and regional growth policy move forward together. What mechanisms are in place to ensure that the Department for Education and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport jointly assess whether level 3 qualification reforms are strengthening, rather than weakening, the future workforce of one of the United Kingdom’s designated priority growth areas?

Food Banks

Baroness Kingsmill Excerpts

Thursday 31st October 2024 Lords Chamber

Asked by

[Baroness Kingsmill]

To ask His Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to eliminate the need for food banks.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Work and Pensions (Baroness Sherlock) (Lab)]

My Lords, this Government are committed to reducing mass dependence on emergency food parcels. Tackling poverty and getting Britain working will be the foundation of our approach. The Child Poverty Taskforce will publish a UK-wide strategy in the spring, and we will soon publish a White Paper setting out our plans to reform employment support to help people enter work, and stay and progress in it.

[Baroness Kingsmill (Lab)]

Does the Minister agree that the very existence of food banks in the UK is shameful? Notwithstanding our admiration for the amazing efforts of the thousands of volunteers around the country in community groups, schools and churches and their efforts to tackle food poverty, it is nevertheless shocking to learn that there are nearly 3,000 food banks in this country. Special thanks must go to the Trussell Trust, which operates 1,400 of them. Hungry families should not have to rely on charity to feed their children in one of the richest countries in the world. It is the political choices made over the past 14 years that have caused this. What choices will the Government now make to eliminate the need for food banks?

[Baroness Sherlock (Lab)]

I thank my noble friend for raising this extremely important issue. I join her in paying tribute to the Trussell Trust and to the many community and faith groups that run food banks. I have seen them in churches, mosques and community centres, and it is wonderful that people volunteer. However, like her, I am concerned that they have gone from something at the margins to help someone when they run into trouble, to mass dependence and an integrated part of the system. Something has gone wrong in recent years that we now see 2.3 million people living in households where a food bank was used in the last 12 months. We are committed to ending mass dependence on emergency food banks.

My noble friend talked about families with children. The Secretary of State made this one of her early priorities. She gathered around her a food poverty round table with experts and charities. She has a child poverty strategy, which will be produced in the spring. In the meantime, as a down payment, the Budget yesterday announced additional help for those struggling with debt and for carers. We will offer free breakfast clubs in primary schools. We are getting in and doing things at the start, but above all we need to make sure the system works for families, and we will.