Asked by: Jayne Kirkham (Labour (Co-op) - Truro and Falmouth)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department is taking steps to help support musical acts from Africa to perform in the UK.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The British Council supports a number of programmes that support cultural exchange between the UK and African music sector. Events such as The Great Escape and the Worldwide Music Expo connect African music professionals with UK platforms, promoters, and festivals such as Africa Oye. The British Council also supports talent development in sub-Saharan Africa, with programmes including Scripts and Bars in Zimbabwe.
Arts Council England (ACE) supports a number of organisations that promote African artists. The ACE National Portfolio Organisation (NPO) Africa Oye Limited receives £217,456 per annum, and delivers an annual festival in Liverpool’s Sefton Park that celebrates and champions African music and culture. Over the past 5 years the festival has brought many high profile African artists to the UK to perform. Yaram Arts Community Interest Company (CIC), another ACE NPO receiving £81,370 per annum, has promoted, presented and supported touring for hundreds of African and world music artists in the UK, Europe and Africa.
Asked by: Jayne Kirkham (Labour (Co-op) - Truro and Falmouth)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, when her Department plans to re-establish the Tourism Industry Council; and whether she plans to include representatives from the cruise industry within its membership.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
DCMS is keen to hear the views of and work with all parts of the visitor economy, including the cruise sector. Details of how Ministers will engage in this Parliament with stakeholders across what is a diverse and broad sector will be published shortly.
Asked by: Jayne Kirkham (Labour (Co-op) - Truro and Falmouth)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she plans that the short term lets licensing scheme will (a) allow local authorities to charge a fee to property owners to licence their property and (b) include a requirement to carry out fire and safety checks.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
Parliament has legislated for a registration scheme for short-term lets in the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act 2023. We are committed to the introduction of such a scheme as soon as possible.
The details of how the scheme will operate and who it will be administered by will be confirmed in our full consultation response. This includes how costs for the service will be established and maintained through the recovery of fees charged to the property owner or provider(s) of the short-term let(s). It is not intended that the scheme would raise revenue above and beyond cost recovery (including for set-up and delivery).
The registration scheme will be designed to ensure that all providers of short-term lets are aware of their legal responsibilities to ensure health and safety standards, including fire and relevant safety checks, are met in their properties.
Asked by: Jayne Kirkham (Labour (Co-op) - Truro and Falmouth)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, when she plans to bring forward legislation on short term lets licensing.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Levelling Up and Regeneration Act 2023 is already in place. This will enable us to reap the benefits of a thriving visitor economy whilst protecting the spirit and fabric of communities, including by giving local authorities valuable data on short-term lets in their area to help address possible housing impacts. We will set out further detail on how the scheme will work as soon as practicable.