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

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to (1) reduce the costs of sponsoring foreign skilled makers, and (2) establish a centralised database to facilitate workshop exchanges and streamline short-term travel abroad for UK apprentices and craftspeople.

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

The Government is committed to supporting our heritage, culture and creative industries to thrive for years to come.

We recognise the value of cross-border exchanges for craftspeople, particularly in Europe. The UK has a number of visa routes suitable for people coming to work in skilled trades, or to do training or work experience. More broadly, the Government will work to improve the UK’s trade and investment relationship with the EU by tearing down unnecessary barriers to trade.

The Government recognises there are skills gaps and shortages in creative sectors and is working with industry to identify current and future skills needs. Across the economy, the people that create and work in businesses will be central to successful growth, and the Government has already taken some steps to support this, including establishing Skills England. We have heard calls from businesses for greater flexibility in our apprenticeships system, and greater flexibility in how employers spend levy funds. And we are acting. That’s why our reformed growth and skills levy will deliver greater flexibility for learners and employers.

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

To ask His Majesty's Government what measures they are taking to facilitate cross-border exchange of craftspeople, particularly between the UK and countries such as France and Germany, where journeying is a key element of their craft education systems.

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

The Government is committed to supporting our heritage, culture and creative industries to thrive for years to come.

We recognise the value of cross-border exchanges for craftspeople, particularly in Europe. The UK has a number of visa routes suitable for people coming to work in skilled trades, or to do training or work experience. More broadly, the Government will work to improve the UK’s trade and investment relationship with the EU by tearing down unnecessary barriers to trade.

The Government recognises there are skills gaps and shortages in creative sectors and is working with industry to identify current and future skills needs. Across the economy, the people that create and work in businesses will be central to successful growth, and the Government has already taken some steps to support this, including establishing Skills England. We have heard calls from businesses for greater flexibility in our apprenticeships system, and greater flexibility in how employers spend levy funds. And we are acting. That’s why our reformed growth and skills levy will deliver greater flexibility for learners and employers.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to provide financial or logistical support to small craft manufacturers struggling with high import duties when bringing their own work back into the UK after exhibiting abroad.

Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)

Relief from import duties can be claimed when bringing goods back into the UK. Returned Goods Relief allows individuals and businesses to claim relief from customs duty and import VAT on goods which are exported from the UK and subsequently returned to the UK, subject to meeting the relief’s conditions.

Guidance on the financial and logistical support which may be available for moving goods temporarily between the UK and other countries without payment of import duties can be found on GOV.UK.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to review the salary threshold of £38,700 for a Skilled Worker visa.

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

In the Home Secretary’s Written Ministerial Statement on 30^th July, she outlined that the UK government would be retaining the salary thresholds set in April this year. Further details can be found here: https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2024- 07-30/hcws51.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to add critically endangered crafts on the Radcliffe Red List to the Shortage Occupation List to help UK-based heritage craft businesses recruit skilled artisans.

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

Any job which meets the skill requirement of the Skilled Worker immigration route can be sponsored for a visa. The majority of the occupations on the red list are eligible to be sponsored.

The Shortage Occupation List (SOL) was replaced with the Immigration Salary List (ISL).

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

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have for funding mechanisms to support training and development in the UK's heritage craft sector.

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

The Government is committed to supporting our heritage, culture and creative industries to thrive for years to come, celebrating our nation's wealth of talent and driving economic growth into communities across the country. We want the craft sector and British arts and culture as a whole to thrive.

As a new administration, we are currently exploring a wide range of policy options to support skills development. We are working closely with the Department for Education and engage with the heritage and skills sectors regularly in order to understand and address skills gaps. The National Lottery Heritage Fund supports traditional craft skills and training in a variety of ways, including funding projects that train people in traditional crafts and skills. They also run a Heritage Crafts programme which offers bursaries to help people train in heritage crafts or develop their skills.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what evaluations have been conducted on NHS-developed electronic health record systems in Leeds, Birmingham and Southampton; what benefits and risks have been identified in comparison to commercial systems developed by EPIC, Cerner and Infosys; and whether they plan to replace the NHS-developed systems with these commercial solutions.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

NHS England carried out an evaluation of National Health Service-developed electronic health record (EHR) solutions in late 2022, the findings of which were endorsed at the NHS England Digital, Data and Technology Committee in March 2023. The review found that while NHS-developed EHR systems have some benefits, the lack of appetite for their adoption in neighbouring organisations was a limiting factor in their broader use, at a time when sharing EHRs across organisations is being encouraged. The review concluded that there was no current basis to replace NHS-developed solutions, except where, through local decision making, it was deemed appropriate to do so.

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