Asked by: Earl of Clancarty (Crossbench - Life peer)
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.
Asked by: Earl of Clancarty (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to discuss the breaking down of barriers for musicians and other creative professionals working and touring in the EU at the next UK–EU summit meeting on 22 July.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The UK is committed to supporting touring artists to work in Europe, as set out in the Government’s manifesto.
As the noble Lord will be aware, the summit has been postponed from July 22nd.
We will continue to discuss options with the EU for the Summit to take place at the next earliest opportunity.
Asked by: Earl of Clancarty (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to mark the 25th anniversary in December this year of the introduction of universal free entry to the UK's national museums and galleries.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
There are currently no plans to mark this anniversary across the Government. Since 2001, consecutive governments have supported free access for all to the permanent collections of DCMS-sponsored national museums and galleries.
Asked by: Earl of Clancarty (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what soft power significance they attach to the real estate owned by the British Council across the world; and what steps they are taking to ensure that such property is not sold off.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington
On the issue of the British Council's overseas presence, I refer the Noble Lord to the answer provided on 3 June in response to Question HL318, but in general, decisions on specific assets or property owned by the British Council are for them to take as they consider appropriate. On the wider issue of the British Council's financial position, I refer the Noble Lord to my statement to the House on 26 March (HLWS1489).
Asked by: Earl of Clancarty (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they intend to take to ensure the British Council Collection will remain the property of the British Council, and that no part of it will be sold off.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington
On the issue of the British Council's overseas presence, I refer the Noble Lord to the answer provided on 3 June in response to Question HL318, but in general, decisions on specific assets or property owned by the British Council are for them to take as they consider appropriate. On the wider issue of the British Council's financial position, I refer the Noble Lord to my statement to the House on 26 March (HLWS1489).
Asked by: Earl of Clancarty (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government when they will confirm the individual budgets for providers of the Dance and Drama Awards Scheme for the 2026–27 academic year.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
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 - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to the UK joining the AgoraEU programme.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
Future EU programmes, such as AgoraEU, are still subject to internal EU procedures and are currently being negotiated between Member States and EU institutions.
We recognise the UK’s creative and cultural sectors provide a unique and valuable contribution to Europe’s rich culture. However, we will only join an EU programme where it is in the national interest and value for money for UK taxpayers to do so.
Asked by: Earl of Clancarty (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have considered providing emergency funding to recording studios.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The UK’s network of recording studios are central to our position as the world’s third-largest recorded music market and second-biggest exporter of music, and they play a crucial role in ensuring the continuation of our talent pipeline. The creative industries, and music within that, are a priority growth sector in the government’s Industrial Strategy.
We have worked with industry to make revisions to the ONS's proposed SIC 2026 framework, and once in place, future economic estimates will be available for both music publishing and sound recording separately.
At the 2025 Budget, the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) announced updated property values that will take effect from 1 April 2026. This revaluation is the first since the pandemic, which has led to significant increases in rateable values (RVs) for some properties. In recognition of the impact of the revaluation on business rates bills, the government announced a support package worth £4.3 billion to protect against ratepayers seeing large overnight increases in bills. Over half of ratepayers will see no bill increases, including 23% seeing their bills go down next year. This also means most properties seeing increases will see them capped at 15% or less next year, or £800 for the smallest.
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 RV. 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. If a business expands to a second property, it will retain SBRR on the first property for 3 years, up from 12 months previously.
The Government is investing £30m into a new Music Growth Package, launching in 2026, which will support music infrastructure, including recording studios, and ensure the UK music sector remains globally competitive. This enables the grassroots music sector, including recording studios, to apply for grants of up to £40,000 to develop new revenue streams and make repairs and improvements.
We are continuing to engage closely with industry stakeholders, including UK Music and the Music Producers Guild, to strengthen our understanding of the specific challenges the sector faces in relation to business rates, alongside the broader pressures on businesses arising from rising operating costs.
Asked by: Earl of Clancarty (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question
To ask The Leader of the House what plans they have to allow parliamentary time for a debate on the report on the use of copyright works in the development of AI systems and the economic impact assessment, required respectively by sections 136 and 135 of the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025, in the current parliamentary session.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Basildon - Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Privy Seal
The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport and the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology wrote to all Peers on 18 March, outlining the Government's approach to the issue of AI and copyright. The report and impact assessment required under the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025 were published and laid before Parliament on the same date, fulfilling the statutory requirements. There are no plans to schedule a debate in the current parliamentary session.
Asked by: Earl of Clancarty (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to support infrastructure for visual artists, including the retention and capital development of artists' studios.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The government acknowledges the economic significance of visual artists and is committed to providing support, including addressing infrastructure requirements. The £1.5 billion Arts Everywhere Fund incorporates the £245 million Creative Foundations Fund, which is dedicated to supporting arts and cultural venues, including galleries and artists' studios, in addressing critical capital needs.
Arts Council England (ACE) provides support for artist spaces through both direct funding and the facilitation of strategic partnerships. This includes significant investments, such as co-founding the Creative Land Trust, which ensures long-term, affordable space for artists and creatives in London by bringing together a number of key funding partners and networks. ACE has supported the organisation with £2 million since 2019, and their goal is to build a portfolio of more than 1,000 studios across London, offering spaces to creatives at affordable rates, equipping those that use them to have greater impact and benefit within communities.
Furthermore, ACE funds numerous workspaces that are part of its National Portfolio Organisation Investment Programme, such as The Auxiliary in Middlesbrough which has received funding of £542,898 since 2022.