Self-employment: A1 Forms Debate

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Department: HM Treasury

Self-employment: A1 Forms

Lord Berkeley of Knighton Excerpts
Monday 12th February 2024

(9 months, 1 week ago)

Lords Chamber
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Lord Berkeley of Knighton Portrait Lord Berkeley of Knighton (CB)
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My Lords, as the singer Rachel Nicholls has documented, the problems over visas for musicians and singers are now compounded by the fact that foreign opera houses and festivals are beginning to boycott British artists. Has the Treasury made any assessment of how these post-Brexit arrangements are affecting the economy, and if not, please can it do so?

Baroness Vere of Norbiton Portrait Baroness Vere of Norbiton (Con)
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I know that obviously the DCMS and colleagues across government are working very closely with the EU and indeed with individual member states to support musicians, and 23 out of 27 member states have clarified their arrangements or introduced easements to allow visa or work-permit-free routes for short-term touring. France, Germany and the Netherlands have all stepped up early on in the process, and Spain recently changed its requirements after intervention from His Majesty’s Government. Obviously, we will continue to address challenges where we see them.