Asked by: Lord Black of Brentwood (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how much money they have invested in Unboxed: The Festival of Brexit; how many people have attended the festival to date; and what analysis they have made of value for money for the taxpayer.
Answered by Lord Kamall
UNBOXED: Creativity in the UK is a £120 million UK-wide celebration of creativity and innovation delivered through 10 major commissions. It is not called the ‘Festival of Brexit’.
Latest figures show that to date over three million people have engaged with UNBOXED, physically and digitally, and this number will only increase during the last two months of live programming, with two major commissions still to launch.
A departmental Accounting Officer Assessment for the programme was published on 12 August. It stated that our pre-delivery assessment of the costs and benefits for UNBOXED showed the programme would be value for money, even where some expected benefits are not monetisable. DCMS has kept the programme under review to ensure that it remains value for money.
There is also an independent evaluation of the programme underway. This will consider areas such as job creation; training, development and volunteering opportunities offered; the number of people who experience UNBOXED in person and online; and the number of participants in the learning and engagement programmes delivered by the creative teams across the country. It will be published in early 2023.
Asked by: Lord Black of Brentwood (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether the BBC’s use of licence fee revenue to produce online news services, which compete with commercial publishers, is compatible with (1) the BBC Charter, and (2) legal constraints on the use of public funds.
Answered by Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
Under the Royal Charter, the BBC has an obligation to provide impartial news and information to help people understand and engage with the world around them. The Charter requires the BBC public services to promote its Mission and Public Purposes, including the provision of news in the UK through “online services”; it therefore allows for the use of licence fee revenue for online news services. In doing so, the BBC is required to have particular regard to the effects of its activities on competition in the UK and to seek to avoid adverse impacts on competition which are not necessary for the effective fulfilment of the Mission and the promotion of the Public Purposes.
Her Majesty’s Government carefully considered the BBC's market impact as part of Charter Review in 2015/16, and designated Ofcom as the BBC regulator to ensure the BBC is robustly held to account on its competitive impact.
The Government also committed the independent Cairncross Review into the future of journalism. This was published in 2019, and urged the BBC to think more carefully about how its news provision can act as a complement to, rather than a substitute for, commercial news.
The Charter Mid-Term Review will look at the BBC’s market impact, evaluating how the BBC and Ofcom assess the market impact and public value of the BBC in an evolving marketplace and how that relates to the wider UK media ecology, including with regard to commercial radio and local news sectors and other content makers and distributors.
Asked by: Lord Black of Brentwood (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government which EU Member States they have spoken to since 1 January about touring arrangements for musicians; and whether any of the solutions relating (1) to visas, and (2) to work permits advocated by music organisations sitting on the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport's Cultural Renewal Taskforce Working Groups were discussed at those meetings.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
This Government understands that the cultural and creative sectors rely on the ability to move people across borders quickly, simply, and with minimal cost and administration. Touring is a vital part of musicians’ and performers’ careers, providing not only a vital income stream, but also enriching opportunities for cultural exchange across the world.
The UK’s rules for touring creative professionals are more generous than many EU Member States. Our proposals remain on the table and our door is open if the EU is willing to reconsider its position.
We are now working urgently across government and in collaboration with the music and wider creative industries, including through the DCMS-led working group, to look at the issues and options, to help the sectors resume touring with ease as soon as it is safe to do so.
We will engage with bilateral partners to find ways to make life easier for those working in the creative industries in countries across the EU. We will prioritise seeking to ensure all Member States’ public guidance around existing rules is simple and accessible.
Asked by: Lord Black of Brentwood (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the UK–EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement and the changes to the level of mobility and bureaucracy for touring performers, what plans they have to provide additional funding for the performing arts sector to mitigate against any potential (1) additional costs, and (2) loss of work, for such performers.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
We know that while leaving the EU will bring changes and new processes to touring and working in the EU, it will also bring new opportunities. Leaving the EU has always meant that there would be changes to how practitioners operate in the EU.
Going forward we will continue to work closely with the sector, including with representative organisations, to assess the impact and to ensure businesses and individuals have the advice and guidance they need to meet new requirements. This includes the creation of a DCMS-led working group to bring together sector leads and other government departments to look at the issues facing these sectors when touring in the EU and explore what further steps could be taken to support them.
This Government recognises the importance of our world leading creative and cultural industries. That is why it provided an unprecedented £1.57bn package of support to help these sectors through the COVID-19 pandemic. To date over £1 billion has been awarded to over 3000 organisations, with 75,000 jobs saved so far, and many more freelancers also benefiting from new work that can now be created. This demonstrates our firm commitment to ensuring that UK culture continues to thrive.
Asked by: Lord Black of Brentwood (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report by the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Cats Cats as Companions, published 15 June; and what assessment they have made of the benefits to people's health and wellbeing of owning or interacting with pets, including cats.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
I welcomed this report at the time of publication, and you can see my quote here: http://www.apgocats.co.uk/reports/. The report ‘Cats as Companions: Can Cats Help Tackle Loneliness?’ from the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Cats rightly outlines the complex nature of loneliness and the importance of tailoring interventions to an individual’s needs. The government welcomes the interest in the important issue of loneliness. It will continue to work to tackle loneliness and improve the evidence base on the causes and the best ways to reduce it.
Asked by: Lord Black of Brentwood (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government why any reference to the creative industries was omitted from the proposals contained in The Future Relationship with the EU: The UK’s Approach to Negotiations (CP211), published in February.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The creative industries are diverse in nature, and therefore a number of cross-cutting areas within the proposals will be relevant to them. We want a relationship with the EU which is based on friendly cooperation between sovereign equals, and centred on free trade. As part of this, the UK is committed to supporting its thriving cultural and creative economy. In 2018, the Creative Industries contributed over £111bn to the UK economy, exporting over £35bn in services. As such, we will continue to support and celebrate cultural cooperation with EU Member States - with whom we share our history and values - as well as with partners around the world to ensure the UK’s vibrant cultural and creative industries continue to thrive.
Asked by: Lord Black of Brentwood (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether ATA Carnets would be required for musicians who are travelling to perform in multiple EU countries in the event of a no-deal Brexit with regard to their musical instruments which are being transported either as (1) hand luggage, or (2) in trucks.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
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: Lord Black of Brentwood (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government why they have not ratified the UNESCO Convention on the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage.
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 the recent final steps taken towards 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. A particularly notable example of research into this area has recently been undertaken by Museums Galleries Scotland, as their project to record and map the intangible cultural heritage of Scotland has identified an impressive breadth and variety of practices.
Asked by: Lord Black of Brentwood (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to commemorate the role played by Commonwealth countries during the First World War.
Answered by Lord Ashton of Hyde
All Government’s First World War Centenary events reflect the enormous contribution of those from across the Commonwealth. This significant contribution is reflected through cultural and military content such as readings and musical performances. In addition to this the first event of the centenary programme at Glasgow Cathedral on 4 August 2014 specifically focused on the commonwealth contribution to the war.
We also invite representatives from the participant nations to our events and will continue to do so when we commemorate the Centenary of Passchendaele – The Third Battle of Ypres on 30/31 July this year and Armistice in November 2018.
Asked by: Lord Black of Brentwood (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they will make an announcement regarding the future regulatory framework of the independent TV production sector, and what assessment they have made of Ofcom’s recent review of that framework.
Answered by Baroness Neville-Rolfe - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
Ofcom published their review on the operation of the television production sector on the 23rd December. The Government is considering their recommendations and will make a decision in due course.