Asked by: Lord Smith of Finsbury (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact on research outcomes of using funds from UK Research and Innovation to contribute to Horizon Europe.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
We are continuing to work through the details of the costs for Horizon Europe. We will set out our plans for R&D spend in 2021/22 – including funding for Horizon Europe – in due course.
Asked by: Lord Smith of Finsbury (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Barran on 9 March (HL13616), whether their working group on the ability of UK artists to perform in the EU includes, or will hear from, performers with experience of applying for the necessary visas.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The Government recognises the importance of the creative and cultural sectors, and is committed to helping them navigate the new rules under the Trade and Cooperation Agreement.
The DCMS-led working group on creative and cultural touring, which involves sector representatives and other key government departments, is looking at the issues and options to help the sectors resume touring with ease as soon as it is safe to do so.
Membership of the Working Group includes a range of sector representative bodies, including: Association of Independent Music, the Music Managers’ Forum, Musicians’ Union, UK Music, BPI, LIVE, the Association of British Orchestras, UK Theatre, One Dance UK, the Incorporated Society of Musicians, the Creative Industries Federation, the Featured Artists Coalition, National Museum Directors’ Council, ACE, the British Fashion Council, the Production Services Association, Creative Scotland, Arts Councils for each of the nations, Logistics UK, the Road Haulage Association, #WeMakeEvents and the Council of Music Makers .
Sector representatives that are in attendance are encouraged to reach out to others to ensure the working group hears and understands the concerns from organisations and individuals right across the cultural and creative sectors.
Asked by: Lord Smith of Finsbury (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Barran on 9 March (HL13616), to provide a list of the people they have appointed to their working group on the ability of UK artists to perform in the EU.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The Government recognises the importance of the creative and cultural sectors, and is committed to helping them navigate the new rules under the Trade and Cooperation Agreement.
The DCMS-led working group on creative and cultural touring, which involves sector representatives and other key government departments, is looking at the issues and options to help the sectors resume touring with ease as soon as it is safe to do so.
Membership of the Working Group includes a range of sector representative bodies, including: Association of Independent Music, the Music Managers’ Forum, Musicians’ Union, UK Music, BPI, LIVE, the Association of British Orchestras, UK Theatre, One Dance UK, the Incorporated Society of Musicians, the Creative Industries Federation, the Featured Artists Coalition, National Museum Directors’ Council, ACE, the British Fashion Council, the Production Services Association, Creative Scotland, Arts Councils for each of the nations, Logistics UK, the Road Haulage Association, #WeMakeEvents and the Council of Music Makers .
Sector representatives that are in attendance are encouraged to reach out to others to ensure the working group hears and understands the concerns from organisations and individuals right across the cultural and creative sectors.
Asked by: Lord Smith of Finsbury (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what guarantees they have established, if any, that primary schools in receipt of Space for Sports and the Arts funding since 2003 will have the full duration of the funding honoured.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Space for Sport & Arts was a funding programme that ran for four years, from 2001 to 2005. Sport England managed the programme, including grant management and awards of funding.
Under the Terms & Conditions of awards, any disposal or change of use of a funded facility at a school requires Sport England consent during the term of the grant (21 years from the date of award acceptance).
Asked by: Lord Smith of Finsbury (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government why museums have been included in Step Three rather than Step Two in the roadmap to ease the restrictions in place to address the COVID-19 pandemic.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
We seek to reopen outdoor elements of galleries and museums in Step 2, with indoor elements at these attractions opening at Step 3. This acknowledges the higher transmission risk posed by indoor settings.
The design of the roadmap has been informed by the latest scientific evidence and seeks a balance between our key social and economic priorities, whilst preserving the health and safety of the country. The scientific evidence shows that opening too early or too quickly risks a further lockdown.
The Chancellor announced in the 2021 Budget an additional £300 million to support theatres, museums and other cultural organisations in England through the Culture Recovery Fund. The Chancellor also set out that we will provide £90 million funding to support our government-sponsored national museums and some cultural bodies in England due to the financial impact of Covid-19. This is in addition to the extension of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, and the continued reduction in VAT, among other measures.
Asked by: Lord Smith of Finsbury (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to negotiate arrangements with the EU for reduced visa requirements for performances by (1) musicians, and (2) other artistic performers.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
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 almost 3800 organisations, with at least 75,000 jobs saved so far, and many more freelancers also benefiting from new work that can now be created. At Budget 2021, HMT also announced £300m of additional funding for the Culture Recovery Fund which will be made available to support cultural organisations in England as audiences begin to return. This demonstrates our firm commitment to ensuring that UK culture continues to thrive.
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.
UK performers and artists are of course still able to tour and perform in the EU, and vice versa. However, we understand the concerns about the new arrangements and we are committed to supporting the sectors as they get to grips with the changes to systems and processes.
We are now working urgently across government and in collaboration with cultural and creative industries, including through a new working group, to help address these issues so that touring in Europe can resume with ease as soon as it is safe to do so.
Asked by: Lord Smith of Finsbury (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the free speech duties they intend to place on universities will prohibit the implementation by universities of the duties placed on them under the Prevent programme.
Answered by Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, set out new measures to strengthen free speech and academic freedom at universities in England on 16 February 2021, in order to stamp out unlawful silencing on campuses. The new measures set out in the policy paper will help to ensure that our universities are places where free speech can thrive.
Higher education providers will continue to be subject to the Prevent duty under Section 26(1) of the Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015. The government is clear that the Prevent Duty should not be used to suppress free speech; rather, it requires providers, when exercising their functions, to have due regard to the need to prevent people being drawn into terrorism. There is no prescription from government (or the Office for Students) in regard to what action providers should take once they have had due regard. The legislation imposing the Prevent duty in relation to higher education specifically requires that providers must have particular regard to their duty to ensure freedom of speech and to the importance of academic freedom. As they already do, providers will continue to balance their legal duties, both in terms of ensuring freedom of speech and academic freedom, and also of protecting student and staff welfare.
Asked by: Lord Smith of Finsbury (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the national restrictions to address the COVID-19 pandemic introduced in England on 4 January, and the impact on the cultural sector of those restrictions, what plans they have to establish a third round of the Cultural Recovery Fund, and whether they plan to offer more than the £1.57 billion that they announced for that fund on 5 July 2020.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
DCMS is fully committed to supporting the culture and heritage sectors to survive the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Over £1bn of funding has already been allocated across arts, heritage and independent cinemas, and we are working hard to ensure that the £400m of round two funding supports as many culturally significant organisations as possible.
We continue to work closely with our Arms Length Bodies to understand the need in the sector and how best to support them as we transition out of lockdown over the coming months.
Asked by: Lord Smith of Finsbury (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have any plans to seek an assurance from appointees for the Chair of Ofcom that they are committed to the future of public service broadcasting in the UK; and if so, how they intend to seek such an assurance.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The government is supportive of a modern system of public service broadcasting that remains relevant and continues to meet the needs of UK audiences in the future.
The Chair of Ofcom is appointed by the DCMS Secretary of State following a fair and open competition and is assisted in this by an Advisory Assessment Panel. The preferred candidate will be required to attend a pre-appointment hearing with the DCMS Select Committee, following which a report will be published. Both the Advisory Assessment Panel and the DCMS Select Committee will have an opportunity to assess candidates against the published criteria for the role.
Asked by: Lord Smith of Finsbury (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to change the UK–EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement to clarify the definition of a 'lawyer' to include patent attorneys and trade mark attorneys to ensure that an attorney whose title is acquired in the UK is not disadvantaged in relation to an attorney whose title is acquired in the EU.
Answered by Lord Wolfson of Tredegar
The Future Relationship Act received Royal Assent on 31 December 2020 and the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement is now enshrined into UK law. There are no plans to amend this agreement with respect to the definition of a ‘lawyer’.
The legal services practice rights captured in the UK–EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement are a novel provision covering policy areas where the EU was reluctant to take on new commitments. The government’s policy intention in respect of these provisions was to secure commitment to home title practice rights in home and international law for those within the scope of the EU’s lawyer-related directives. This scope does not include patent or trade mark attorneys.
Recognising the sector’s concerns in this area, the government has amended the Intellectual Property Office’s (IPO) address for service rules to remove reference to the EEA. This means that, since 1 January 2021, only a UK, Gibraltar, Isle of Man or Channel Island address for service is accepted for new applications and requests to start contentious proceedings before the IPO.