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Written Question
English National Opera: Finance
Thursday 20th July 2023

Asked by: Harriet Harman (Labour - Camberwell and Peckham)

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, when her Department will notify the English National Opera of the outcome of its funding application for the 2024-25 and 2025-26 financial years.

Answered by John Whittingdale

Decisions made by Arts Council England about which institutions to fund, and by how much, are taken at arm's length from HM Government. As such, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport has no role in notifying organisations of the outcome of their funding applications.

Arts Council England has awarded £11.46 million of public funding for the English National Opera for the current year (2023–24) and has set a budget of a further £24 million for 2024–26, with a final decision on the latter sum expected over this Summer.


Written Question
Musicians: Entry Clearances
Monday 15th May 2023

Asked by: Harriet Harman (Labour - Camberwell and Peckham)

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 4 May 2023 to Question 182767 on Musicians: EU Countries, what recent discussions she has had with representatives of the creative sectors to understand whether and how the visitor system can be simplified for touring bands.

Answered by John Whittingdale

Government ministers and officials regularly engage with industry representatives to inform policy development. In April, the Secretary of State hosted a music industry roundtable with broad representation from across the sector to understand the key challenges and opportunities facing the music sector, including how to address barriers to inbound and outbound touring. In May, the Secretary of State and Minister Julia Lopez met with music industry leaders, including executives from UK Music, LIVE (Live music Industry Venues & Entertainment) and the Musicians' Union, to further discuss issues and solutions to support growth across the music sector and wider creative industries.


Written Question
Musicians: EU Countries
Thursday 4th May 2023

Asked by: Harriet Harman (Labour - Camberwell and Peckham)

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate she has made of the number of music groups from EU countries that have been scheduled to tour the UK in the last year but that have been refused entry due to immigration rules.

Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

Border Force, responsible for securing the UK border by carrying out immigration and customs controls for people and goods entering the UK, do not hold statistics on music groups specifically.

This Government is committed to supporting the UK’s creative industries, including musicians, to adapt to new arrangements with the EU. Our immigration system continues to support the thriving cultural life of the UK. We have been working, and will continue to work, with the creative sectors to understand whether and how the visitor system can be further simplified.

The UK’s rules for touring creative professionals are comparatively more generous than in many EU Member States. The UK’s domestic rules allow musicians, entertainers and artists (and their technical staff) from non-visa national countries, such as EU Member States and the US, to perform in the UK without requiring a visa, and the UK does not have work permits.

Border Force Officers undertake training on an ongoing basis to ensure the Immigration Rules are upheld and applied consistently.

Sector specific guidance on creative professionals from non-visa national countries, including the EU and the US, visiting the UK for performance and work has been published by DCMS on GOV.UK can be found in the ‘Visiting the UK as a creative professional from a non-visa national country guidance’ on GOV.UK.


Written Question
Musicians: Germany
Monday 5th December 2022

Asked by: Harriet Harman (Labour - Camberwell and Peckham)

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent discussions she has had with the German Government to agree bespoke bilateral arrangements for UK musicians seeking to tour in Germany without restrictions.

Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

This Government is committed to supporting the UK’s creative industries, including musicians, to adapt to new arrangements with the EU.

EU Member States are principally responsible for deciding the rules governing what work UK visitors can undertake in each Member State. We have engaged bilaterally with all EU Member States, and nearly all (24 out of 27) have confirmed they offer visa and work permit free routes for UK performers for short-term touring.

This includes the UK’s biggest touring markets such as France, Germany, and the Netherlands. Following engagement by the UK Government and the sector, this also includes Spain, which introduced 90-day visa- and work permit- free touring in November 2021; and Greece, which announced a visa and work permit free route for UK creatives in June 2022, currently due to be in place until 31 December 2022. The UK Government is continuing to engage with Greece on extending this arrangement beyond the end of this year, however this is ultimately a decision for the Greek Government to take.

The Government is engaged with the remaining Member States - Cyprus, Malta and Portugal - on allowing creative professionals to tour more easily. However, ultimately it is up to these countries to align their requirements more closely with the UK’s generous rules.

The UK’s domestic rules allow musicians, entertainers and artists (and their technical staff) from EU Member States, to perform in the UK without requiring a visa, and the UK does not have work-permits.


Written Question
Musicians: Finland
Monday 5th December 2022

Asked by: Harriet Harman (Labour - Camberwell and Peckham)

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent discussions she has had with the Finnish Government to agree bespoke bilateral arrangements for UK musicians seeking to tour in Finland without restrictions.

Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

This Government is committed to supporting the UK’s creative industries, including musicians, to adapt to new arrangements with the EU.

EU Member States are principally responsible for deciding the rules governing what work UK visitors can undertake in each Member State. We have engaged bilaterally with all EU Member States, and nearly all (24 out of 27) have confirmed they offer visa and work permit free routes for UK performers for short-term touring.

This includes the UK’s biggest touring markets such as France, Germany, and the Netherlands. Following engagement by the UK Government and the sector, this also includes Spain, which introduced 90-day visa- and work permit- free touring in November 2021; and Greece, which announced a visa and work permit free route for UK creatives in June 2022, currently due to be in place until 31 December 2022. The UK Government is continuing to engage with Greece on extending this arrangement beyond the end of this year, however this is ultimately a decision for the Greek Government to take.

The Government is engaged with the remaining Member States - Cyprus, Malta and Portugal - on allowing creative professionals to tour more easily. However, ultimately it is up to these countries to align their requirements more closely with the UK’s generous rules.

The UK’s domestic rules allow musicians, entertainers and artists (and their technical staff) from EU Member States, to perform in the UK without requiring a visa, and the UK does not have work-permits.


Written Question
Musicians: France
Monday 5th December 2022

Asked by: Harriet Harman (Labour - Camberwell and Peckham)

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent discussions she has had with the French Government to agree bespoke bilateral arrangements for UK musicians seeking to tour in France without restrictions.

Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

This Government is committed to supporting the UK’s creative industries, including musicians, to adapt to new arrangements with the EU.

EU Member States are principally responsible for deciding the rules governing what work UK visitors can undertake in each Member State. We have engaged bilaterally with all EU Member States, and nearly all (24 out of 27) have confirmed they offer visa and work permit free routes for UK performers for short-term touring.

This includes the UK’s biggest touring markets such as France, Germany, and the Netherlands. Following engagement by the UK Government and the sector, this also includes Spain, which introduced 90-day visa- and work permit- free touring in November 2021; and Greece, which announced a visa and work permit free route for UK creatives in June 2022, currently due to be in place until 31 December 2022. The UK Government is continuing to engage with Greece on extending this arrangement beyond the end of this year, however this is ultimately a decision for the Greek Government to take.

The Government is engaged with the remaining Member States - Cyprus, Malta and Portugal - on allowing creative professionals to tour more easily. However, ultimately it is up to these countries to align their requirements more closely with the UK’s generous rules.

The UK’s domestic rules allow musicians, entertainers and artists (and their technical staff) from EU Member States, to perform in the UK without requiring a visa, and the UK does not have work-permits.


Written Question
Musicians: Germany
Monday 5th December 2022

Asked by: Harriet Harman (Labour - Camberwell and Peckham)

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether any bilateral arrangements are in place for UK musicians seeking to tour in Germany.

Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

This Government is committed to supporting the UK’s creative industries, including musicians, to adapt to new arrangements with the EU.

EU Member States are principally responsible for deciding the rules governing what work UK visitors can undertake in each Member State. We have engaged bilaterally with all EU Member States, and nearly all (24 out of 27) have confirmed they offer visa and work permit free routes for UK performers for short-term touring.

This includes the UK’s biggest touring markets such as France, Germany, and the Netherlands. Following engagement by the UK Government and the sector, this also includes Spain, which introduced 90-day visa- and work permit- free touring in November 2021; and Greece, which announced a visa and work permit free route for UK creatives in June 2022, currently due to be in place until 31 December 2022. The UK Government is continuing to engage with Greece on extending this arrangement beyond the end of this year, however this is ultimately a decision for the Greek Government to take.

The Government is engaged with the remaining Member States - Cyprus, Malta and Portugal - on allowing creative professionals to tour more easily. However, ultimately it is up to these countries to align their requirements more closely with the UK’s generous rules.

The UK’s domestic rules allow musicians, entertainers and artists (and their technical staff) from EU Member States, to perform in the UK without requiring a visa, and the UK does not have work-permits.


Written Question
Musicians: France
Monday 5th December 2022

Asked by: Harriet Harman (Labour - Camberwell and Peckham)

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether any bilateral arrangements are in place for UK musicians seeking to tour in France.

Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

This Government is committed to supporting the UK’s creative industries, including musicians, to adapt to new arrangements with the EU.

EU Member States are principally responsible for deciding the rules governing what work UK visitors can undertake in each Member State. We have engaged bilaterally with all EU Member States, and nearly all (24 out of 27) have confirmed they offer visa and work permit free routes for UK performers for short-term touring.

This includes the UK’s biggest touring markets such as France, Germany, and the Netherlands. Following engagement by the UK Government and the sector, this also includes Spain, which introduced 90-day visa- and work permit- free touring in November 2021; and Greece, which announced a visa and work permit free route for UK creatives in June 2022, currently due to be in place until 31 December 2022. The UK Government is continuing to engage with Greece on extending this arrangement beyond the end of this year, however this is ultimately a decision for the Greek Government to take.

The Government is engaged with the remaining Member States - Cyprus, Malta and Portugal - on allowing creative professionals to tour more easily. However, ultimately it is up to these countries to align their requirements more closely with the UK’s generous rules.

The UK’s domestic rules allow musicians, entertainers and artists (and their technical staff) from EU Member States, to perform in the UK without requiring a visa, and the UK does not have work-permits.


Written Question
Musicians: Estonia
Monday 5th December 2022

Asked by: Harriet Harman (Labour - Camberwell and Peckham)

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent discussions she has had with the Estonian Government to agree bespoke bilateral arrangements for UK musicians seeking to tour in Estonia without restrictions.

Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

This Government is committed to supporting the UK’s creative industries, including musicians, to adapt to new arrangements with the EU.

EU Member States are principally responsible for deciding the rules governing what work UK visitors can undertake in each Member State. We have engaged bilaterally with all EU Member States, and nearly all (24 out of 27) have confirmed they offer visa and work permit free routes for UK performers for short-term touring.

This includes the UK’s biggest touring markets such as France, Germany, and the Netherlands. Following engagement by the UK Government and the sector, this also includes Spain, which introduced 90-day visa- and work permit- free touring in November 2021; and Greece, which announced a visa and work permit free route for UK creatives in June 2022, currently due to be in place until 31 December 2022. The UK Government is continuing to engage with Greece on extending this arrangement beyond the end of this year, however this is ultimately a decision for the Greek Government to take.

The Government is engaged with the remaining Member States - Cyprus, Malta and Portugal - on allowing creative professionals to tour more easily. However, ultimately it is up to these countries to align their requirements more closely with the UK’s generous rules.

The UK’s domestic rules allow musicians, entertainers and artists (and their technical staff) from EU Member States, to perform in the UK without requiring a visa, and the UK does not have work-permits.


Written Question
Musicians: Denmark
Monday 5th December 2022

Asked by: Harriet Harman (Labour - Camberwell and Peckham)

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent discussions she has had with the Danish Government to agree bespoke bilateral arrangements for UK musicians seeking to tour in Denmark without restrictions.

Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

This Government is committed to supporting the UK’s creative industries, including musicians, to adapt to new arrangements with the EU.

EU Member States are principally responsible for deciding the rules governing what work UK visitors can undertake in each Member State. We have engaged bilaterally with all EU Member States, and nearly all (24 out of 27) have confirmed they offer visa and work permit free routes for UK performers for short-term touring.

This includes the UK’s biggest touring markets such as France, Germany, and the Netherlands. Following engagement by the UK Government and the sector, this also includes Spain, which introduced 90-day visa- and work permit- free touring in November 2021; and Greece, which announced a visa and work permit free route for UK creatives in June 2022, currently due to be in place until 31 December 2022. The UK Government is continuing to engage with Greece on extending this arrangement beyond the end of this year, however this is ultimately a decision for the Greek Government to take.

The Government is engaged with the remaining Member States - Cyprus, Malta and Portugal - on allowing creative professionals to tour more easily. However, ultimately it is up to these countries to align their requirements more closely with the UK’s generous rules.

The UK’s domestic rules allow musicians, entertainers and artists (and their technical staff) from EU Member States, to perform in the UK without requiring a visa, and the UK does not have work-permits.