Asked by: Harriet Harman (Labour - Camberwell and Peckham)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the answer of 21 March 2024 to Question 18951 on Crown Court: Snaresbrook, to what proportion of email correspondence Snaresbrook Crown Court responds within five-working days of receipt.
Answered by Mike Freer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
We do not hold the information requested regarding what proportion of email correspondence is responded to within five-working days of receipts at Snaresbrook Crown Court. HMCTS does not collect data on response times.
Asked by: Harriet Harman (Labour - Camberwell and Peckham)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether Snaresbrook Crown Court has customer service targets for dealing with (a) incoming calls and (b) written correspondence.
Answered by Mike Freer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
Snaresbrook Crown Court aims to respond to email correspondence within five-working days of receipt, but have no other local targets in place.
Asked by: Harriet Harman (Labour - Camberwell and Peckham)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that the Help to Buy scheme gives timely responses to enquiries from homeowners.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
I refer the Rt. Hon. Member to the answers given to Question UIN 192863 and 194924 on 13 and 24 July 2023.
Asked by: Harriet Harman (Labour - Camberwell and Peckham)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment she has made with Cabinet colleagues of the potential merits of negotiating a waiver to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora regulations for UK musicians looking to (a) tour and (b) work temporarily in EU countries.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) places obligations on Parties to ensure international trade in wildlife is legal and sustainable.
Defra has worked closely with industry since leaving the EU to understand trade volumes and value, and to look at ways to minimise burdens and friction without reducing our high standards of environmental protection.
One option if travelling with a musical instrument for performance purposes is to apply for a CITES Musical Instrument Certificate (MIC). This is a streamlined process, specifically for musicians, which facilitates repeat movements over the course of three years. MICs are currently free of charge.
Defra will continue to work collaboratively with industry and other stakeholders to understand their needs, balance them against our duty to protect wildlife under the Convention, and identify priorities, as we prepare for the next meeting of the CITES Conference of Parties in 2025.
Asked by: Harriet Harman (Labour - Camberwell and Peckham)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate she has made of the potential impact of the requirement for musicians to ensure that their instruments comply with the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora regulations when travelling to EU countries on the revenue generated by musicians.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) places obligations on Parties to ensure international trade in wildlife is legal and sustainable.
Defra has worked closely with industry since leaving the EU to understand trade volumes and value, and to look at ways to minimise burdens and friction without reducing our high standards of environmental protection.
One option if travelling with a musical instrument for performance purposes is to apply for a CITES Musical Instrument Certificate (MIC). This is a streamlined process, specifically for musicians, which facilitates repeat movements over the course of three years. MICs are currently free of charge.
Defra will continue to work collaboratively with industry and other stakeholders to understand their needs, balance them against our duty to protect wildlife under the Convention, and identify priorities, as we prepare for the next meeting of the CITES Conference of Parties in 2025.
Asked by: Harriet Harman (Labour - Camberwell and Peckham)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she is taking steps with Cabinet colleagues to reduce the impact of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora regulations on UK musicians seeking to (a) work and (b) tour in the EU.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) places obligations on Parties to ensure international trade in wildlife is legal and sustainable.
Defra has worked closely with industry since leaving the EU to understand trade volumes and value, and to look at ways to minimise burdens and friction without reducing our high standards of environmental protection.
One option if travelling with a musical instrument for performance purposes is to apply for a CITES Musical Instrument Certificate (MIC). This is a streamlined process, specifically for musicians, which facilitates repeat movements over the course of three years. MICs are currently free of charge.
Defra will continue to work collaboratively with industry and other stakeholders to understand their needs, balance them against our duty to protect wildlife under the Convention, and identify priorities, as we prepare for the next meeting of the CITES Conference of Parties in 2025.
Asked by: Harriet Harman (Labour - Camberwell and Peckham)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent estimate he has made of the impact of the requirement for musicians to obtain an ATA Carnet when taking their instruments to the EU on their earnings.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
ATA Carnets are not a requirement for anyone temporarily importing goods between the UK and EU. They are an optional facilitation which allow goods to be imported temporarily without the normal customs formalities (i.e. customs declarations) and import duty being paid. They allow a single document to be used for multiple countries’ customs controls.
The use of an ATA Carnet is subject to an issuing fee and a requirement to provide a security. It is therefore a commercial decision for businesses and individuals whether a Carnet is the most suitable option for temporarily moving their goods. The Government is not currently having any discussions with the EU to negotiate a waiver of ATA Carnets for creative artists.
An alternative option to an ATA Carnet is the Temporary Admission (TA) procedure. The UK and EU both operate a similar TA procedure which allows goods to be imported temporarily with relief from customs duty and import VAT, subject to certain conditions being met. If TA is used in conjunction with the UK or EU Returned Goods Relief scheme (for returning goods), goods can be moved temporarily between the UK and EU without having to pay import duties.
Asked by: Harriet Harman (Labour - Camberwell and Peckham)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment he has made of the potential merits of negotiating an ATA Carnet waiver for UK musicians wanting to tour in the EU.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
ATA Carnets are not a requirement for anyone temporarily importing goods between the UK and EU. They are an optional facilitation which allow goods to be imported temporarily without the normal customs formalities (i.e. customs declarations) and import duty being paid. They allow a single document to be used for multiple countries’ customs controls.
The use of an ATA Carnet is subject to an issuing fee and a requirement to provide a security. It is therefore a commercial decision for businesses and individuals whether a Carnet is the most suitable option for temporarily moving their goods. The Government is not currently having any discussions with the EU to negotiate a waiver of ATA Carnets for creative artists.
An alternative option to an ATA Carnet is the Temporary Admission (TA) procedure. The UK and EU both operate a similar TA procedure which allows goods to be imported temporarily with relief from customs duty and import VAT, subject to certain conditions being met. If TA is used in conjunction with the UK or EU Returned Goods Relief scheme (for returning goods), goods can be moved temporarily between the UK and EU without having to pay import duties.
Asked by: Harriet Harman (Labour - Camberwell and Peckham)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether her Department is taking steps to help support UK-based touring musicians with the requirement to obtain an ATA Carnet for taking their instruments and equipment to the EU.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Export Support Service is the first point of contact for all UK businesses to get answers to questions about exporting their products or services, including on areas most relevant to touring musicians such as ATA carnets.
The government has also published new information on the GOV.UK website specifically for touring musicians and other creative sectors and worked closely with music industry bodies to help develop their own tailored guidance.
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.