Question to the Department for Education:

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.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

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.

.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to providing business rates relief for recording studios.

Answered by Lord Pitt-Watson - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)

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.

Question

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.

Answered by Baroness Twycross - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

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.

Question

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.

Answered by Baroness Twycross - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

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.

Question

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.

Answered by Baroness Twycross - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

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.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what progress they have made towards agreeing the UK–EU Youth Experience Scheme.

Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)

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.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to forgiving the Covid loan issued to the British Council in July 2020.

Answered by Lord Wood of Anfield - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

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.