Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Lord Vaizey of Didcot and Diana Johnson

Thursday 15th January 2015 Commons Chamber

[Diana Johnson (Kingston upon Hull North) (Lab)]

10. What assessment he has made of the effect of government spending on culture and the arts outside London.

[The Minister for Culture and the Digital Economy (Mr Edward Vaizey)]

Normal service is now resuming.

The Government strongly support the fair distribution of funding for culture and arts throughout the country to increase opportunities for access and participation. We recently announced new cultural investment in the north of England. The Arts Council intends to build on its current trend of 60% grant in aid and 70% lottery investment outside London. That will, of course, include Hull, which will become the UK city of culture in 2017.

[Diana Johnson]

Despite the continuing imbalance of arts funding in favour of London, I am pleased that Rosie Millard and Martin Green are to lead our preparations for 2017. They are doing an excellent job. Will the Minister tell me, however, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government about the disproportionate cuts that Hull has suffered under his regime—I believe that a further £24 million was cut in December—and about the impact that they will have on Hull’s ability to lead our national celebrations in 2017?

[Mr Vaizey]

The hon. Lady’s question raises the much wider issue of the work that the Government are having to do to clean up the chaos and mess left by the Labour Government and balance the books. It is highly hypocritical—that is, it is very odd to hear her mention this matter, given that Labour Members trooped through the Lobby with us to secure the cuts that were necessary to balance the budget in the next three years.

We cannot put up with the chaos that is emanating from the Labour Benches. Last week they were tweeting that they supported cuts in the arts, boasting about them, while at the same time pretending that they opposed them.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Lord Vaizey of Didcot and Diana Johnson

Thursday 27th November 2014 Commons Chamber

[Diana Johnson (Kingston upon Hull North) (Lab)]

7. What plans he has to bring forward legislative proposals to bring ratings for music videos online into line with British Board of Film Classification standards.

[The Minister for Culture and the Digital Economy (Mr Edward Vaizey)]

I welcome the commitment that music labels and digital service providers have made to pilot the British Board of Film Classification age ratings for online music videos where they are unsuitable for younger children. Since it was launched on 1 October, 49 music videos have been classified by the BBFC under the pilot, and the rating symbols should start appearing on YouTube and Vevo towards the end of the year.

[Diana Johnson]

Why does the voluntary pilot scheme apply only to UK musicians?

[Mr Vaizey]

We are able to work with UK record labels on this, but it is a voluntary scheme and we are engaging with music labels and video platforms. We can always look to extend it when appropriate.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Lord Vaizey of Didcot and Diana Johnson

Thursday 16th October 2014 Commons Chamber

[Mr Vaizey]

It is not appropriate for me to comment on the commercial issues surrounding the decision of the owners of Phones 4u to put the company into receivership, but it is possible to purchase mobile phones not just through the operators’ shops but on the high street and from online outlets; and mobile virtual network operators are also providing a great deal of competition.

[Diana Johnson (Kingston upon Hull North) (Lab)]

Question 2, Mr Speaker.

[The Minister of State, Department for Culture, Media and Sport (Mr Edward Vaizey)]

Funding decisions for the arts are made independently of Ministers by the Arts Council England, but I am delighted to say—

--- Later in debate ---

[Mr Vaizey]

Mr Speaker, I am incredibly grateful for your guidance. You are quite right that, with your permission, I would like to take this question with Question 3, which I also hotly anticipate. Thank you for correcting me. My eagerness got ahead of me in wishing to communicate to the hon. Lady that for the first time—[Hon. Members: “Get on with it!”] I have been asked to get on with it; things are going from bad to worse, aren’t they?

[Diana Johnson (Kingston upon Hull North) (Lab)]

2. What recent assessment he has made of the effect of Government funding decisions on the arts and culture outside London.

[Mr Ben Bradshaw (Exeter) (Lab)]

3. What recent assessment he has made of the balance of funding for arts organisations in the English regions.

[The Minister of State, Department for Culture, Media and Sport (Mr Edward Vaizey)]

Funding decisions for the arts are made independently of Ministers by Arts Council England, but I am delighted to say that 53% of the funding that the Arts Council recently allocated to non-profit organisations will go outside London. It is the first time that the majority of that funding will have gone outside London.

[Diana Johnson]

But public funding for the arts in London is 15 times greater than for outside the capital, and Hull city council has seen a 25% cut to its funding during this Parliament. How does the Minister expect Hull to deliver the national city of culture in 2017 with these unfair funding formulas?

[Mr Vaizey]

I have to say that the hon. Lady’s colleagues in Hull are much more bullish about being the capital of culture and are looking forward to delivering it in 2017. They have received £3 million of funding from the Arts Council. Indeed, the Arts Council has set up a pop-up office in Hull to assist with the capital of culture.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Lord Vaizey of Didcot and Diana Johnson

Thursday 1st May 2014 Commons Chamber

[Diana Johnson (Kingston upon Hull North) (Lab)]

People whose homes and businesses were recently flooded will know, as we did in Hull in 2007, of the benefit of having local BBC radio stations. Those radio stations are often seen as the extra emergency service in times of crisis. Will the Minister confirm that, in any future negotiations on funding for the BBC, protection is given to local radio services?

[Mr Vaizey]

Absolutely. I echo what the hon. Lady says. During the severe floods in Oxfordshire in 2007, BBC Radio Oxford certainly played an invaluable role. I can assure her that the value of all BBC services, including local and regional services, will be considered as part of the review of the BBC’s charter. We have not yet announced the timing, scope and process of the charter review, so it would be premature of me to say anything further at this point.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Lord Vaizey of Didcot and Diana Johnson

Thursday 12th December 2013 Commons Chamber

[Mr Vaizey]

We would like to do that and we will consult on it.

[Diana Johnson (Kingston upon Hull North) (Lab)]

T1. If she will make a statement on her departmental responsibilities.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Lord Vaizey of Didcot and Diana Johnson

Monday 29th November 2010 Commons Chamber

[Diana Johnson (Kingston upon Hull North) (Lab)]

4. What assessment he has made of the effects on financial support for theatres in regions outside the south-east of the outcomes of the comprehensive spending review; and if he will make a statement.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport (Mr Edward Vaizey)]

Funding decisions from central Government are the responsibility of the Arts Council. I am delighted to say, however, that as part of the spending review the Arts Council has limited cuts to the budget for arts organisations to just 15%. We have also reformed the lottery money and that will boost the arts by £50 million each year from 2012.

[Diana Johnson]

For nearly 40 years, the Hull Truck theatre has been a huge success for the city of Hull. The theatre now employs 93 staff and is located in its new £15 million building at Ferensway. Following the £100,000 cut made by Hull city council last week and the £40,000 reduction made by the Arts Council, will the Minister look at this again, taking into account the fact that it is much easier to find private sector investment and jobs on the south bank of the Thames than on the north bank of the Humber? Will he particularly examine the regional funding for theatre in the most disadvantaged communities, such as my own?

[Mr Vaizey]

I absolutely hear what the hon. Lady has to say, and I pay tribute to that theatre and its reliance on a mix of different elements of arts funding. I would remind her that theatres in Yorkshire received almost £7 million in grant in aid via the Arts Council this year and will continue to be funded by the Arts Council in future.