Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Baroness Chapman of Darlington on 11 November (HL Deb col 141), what plans they have for the form of modernisation at the British Council.

Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)

I refer the Noble Lord to the answer provided on 24 June 2025 to Question HL8297.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government, in relation to their curriculum and assessment review, what will be the status of arts subjects compared to other subjects within the Progress 8 accountability framework.

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

The government is revitalising arts education as part of the reformed national curriculum. Our proposed improvements to the ‘Progress 8’ model would recognise the value of subjects, including the arts, which strengthen our economy and society, and the importance of a broad pre-16 curriculum.

The government will consult on the proposed Progress 8 model. This proposed model includes English and mathematics slots, which follow the same rules as the current Progress 8, and two new science slots. There are four breadth slots, two of which must be filled by GCSE (or relevant AS level) qualifications from two of three categories: humanities, creative and languages. The creative category includes art and design, music, drama, dance, design and technology. The department will consult on an additional category for science subjects. We are interested in views on the impact of these breadth slots on pupil subject choices for GCSEs and technical qualifications.

The final breadth slots will take the two highest point scores in any two subjects, including English language or literature (if not counted in the English slot), other GCSE qualifications, or any technical awards from the department’s approved list. These final two slots will operate in the same way as the current open slots.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to make recording studios eligible for the retail, hospitality and leisure business rates relief scheme from April 2026.

Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)

As announced at the Budget in October 2024, the Government will introduce permanently lower business rates multipliers for qualifying retail, hospitality and leisure (RHL) properties with rateable values below £500,000 from April 2026.

Since these new multipliers were announced in the previous Budget, the Government has been clear that the intention was for their scope to broadly reflect the scope of the current 40 per cent RHL business rates relief, which is centred around RHL properties that are “reasonably accessible to visiting members of the public”.

On 16 October 2025, the Government published legislation and accompanying guidance detailing the eligibility criteria for the new multipliers. As music studios are not generally reasonably accessible to visiting members of the public, the Government has no plans to make recording studios eligible for the new multipliers.

Nevertheless, the Government values the music industry and understands that recording studios are a vital part of the infrastructure of the industry. The Music Growth Package will see Government funding for the sector more than doubled from £4.1 million to up to £10 million a year for the next three years.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to introduce measures addressing AI-generated digital replicas of an individual's likeness or voice, particularly in relation to the entertainment industry.

Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The Government recognises that individuals, including those in the entertainment industry, wish to have control over the use of their voice or likeness in AI-generated content.

Government intervention requires careful consideration given the complex legal landscape.

The Government sought views on the issue in its copyright and AI consultation. It is considering all feedback received through the consultation and will publish a formal response in due course.