Asked by: Earl of Clancarty (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the response by Viscount Younger of Leckie on 16 July ( HL Deb, col 1126) that "current evidence suggests that while players see the two types of lottery as distinct, there is little danger of product substitution", what is that evidence.
Answered by Lord Ashton of Hyde
The Government is currently consulting on reforms to society lottery sales and prize limits. Our aim in reforming society lotteries is to allow for further growth in the sector, whilst ensuring that growth does not have a detrimental impact on the National Lottery.
The consultation options have been informed by expert advice from the Gambling Commission, which was requested following a CMS Select Committee enquiry on society lotteries in March 2015. This advice has been published alongside the consultation, which I attach, and can be found at:
http://www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk/PDF/consultations/Society-lottery-advice-provided-to-DCMS-002.pdf
In its comprehensive advice, the Gambling Commission advised that small changes to existing limits are likely to have minimal impact on the National Lottery, and that while society lotteries offer a differentiated product with smaller prizes, substitution between the two is likely to remain minimal. In conclusion, it said:
“In the context of society lotteries and the National Lottery in GB, the [academic] studies would suggest that whilst society lotteries offer a differentiated product with smaller jackpot prizes, substitution between the society lotteries and the National Lottery is likely to remain minimal. Lifting restrictions on the society lottery sector may enable society lotteries to increase their sales but under existing conditions and therefore under small changes to existing limits the impact on the National Lottery is likely to be small.”
Asked by: Earl of Clancarty (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by the Minister of State for Digital on 12 September (HC9406), what roundtable discussions the Secretary of State has had with creators and performers in the arts in the last six months; with whom; whether Brexit was discussed at those roundtables; and what other issues were discussed.
Answered by Lord Ashton of Hyde
Ministers meet regularly with a range of stakeholders to discuss a wide range of issues relating to DCMS policy including leaving the EU. Details of ministerial meetings are published quarterly on the GOV.UK website of which the most up to date is attached.
Asked by: Earl of Clancarty (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to ratify the 2003 UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage; and if not, why not.
Answered by Lord Ashton of Hyde
It is necessary to carefully prioritise resources towards those Conventions that will have the most impact on the safeguarding of our heritage, such as recent ratification of the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property. However, the Government fully recognises the contribution that the UK's oral traditions, social practices and festive events make to the country's cultural fabric, and continues to encourage communities to celebrate these practices and to continue them for future generations.
Asked by: Earl of Clancarty (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they plan to ratify (1) the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict, and (2) the Protocols to that Convention of 1954 and 1999, as enabled by the Cultural Property (Armed Conflicts) Act 2017.
Answered by Lord Ashton of Hyde
We plan to ratify the Convention and accede to the Protocols at the earliest opportunity once the instruments of ratification and accession have been signed by Her Majesty The Queen and finalised ready for deposit with UNESCO.
Asked by: Earl of Clancarty (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to maintain their policy of universal free access to the UK's national museums and galleries.
Answered by Lord Ashton of Hyde
Yes. The Government recognises the benefits that free access to the national museums and galleries brings to the public and to the UK economy. The Spending Review 2015 committed to continued free access to the permanent collections of the national museums and galleries as part of a settlement that maintained funding in cash terms for museum and galleries over the Spending Review period. Museum policy is a devolved matter for their respective administrations although the National Museums of Wales and Scotland are also free of charge, as are the National Armed Forces museums sponsored by the Ministry of Defence.
Asked by: Earl of Clancarty (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will introduce legislation to ratify the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict and its two Protocols within the next Session.
Answered by Baroness Neville-Rolfe - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.
Asked by: Earl of Clancarty (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether arts organisations registered as charities receiving grants for arts purposes provided through National Lottery funding will be subject to the new government policy restricting how such grants may be used.
Answered by Baroness Neville-Rolfe - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
The anti-lobbying policy covers exchequer-funded grants and does not cover Lottery funding. Arts Council England grants, funded through the National Lottery, are allocated and ring-fenced to support statutory good causes.
Asked by: Earl of Clancarty (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether arts organisations registered as charities receiving grants for arts purposes through bodies such as the Arts Council England will be exempt from their new policy restricting how such grants may be used; and if not, what assessment they have made of whether their new policy is compatible with the arm's length principle of the funding of the arts.
Answered by Baroness Neville-Rolfe - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
The anti-lobbying policy will apply to all government-funded grants, including those grants issued by the Arts Council England which are funded through the exchequer. It will not be applied to ACE grants funded through the National Lottery, which is allocated and ring-fenced to support statutory good causes. The policy does not however prevent any organisation from using their own self-generated funds as they see fit, and we are clear that it is not the intention to restrict the creative activities of any organisation.
Asked by: Earl of Clancarty (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they will introduce legislation to ratify the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict and its two Protocols.
Answered by Baroness Neville-Rolfe - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
The Government remains committed to bringing forward legislation to ratify the Hague Convention and accede to its two Protocols at the first opportunity.
Asked by: Earl of Clancarty (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will take steps to ensure that buyers of art and antiques, including from dealers and auction houses, receive information about the provenance of such objects, including documentation of previous owners.
Answered by Baroness Neville-Rolfe - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
The UK has made it a criminal offence to deal dishonestly in tainted cultural property and issued guidelines to help UK dealers and auction houses consider the relevant issues such as ensuring good provenance of cultural objects in which they deal.
However, the Government believes that regulating trade in art and antiquities is primarily the responsibility of the art and antiquities trade itself. The established trade associations possess codes of ethics by which they expect their members to abide and we expect the associations to enforce those codes strictly.