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 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, 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.
Asked by: Earl of Clancarty (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to negotiate with the EU a visa waiver agreement for UK musicians and other artists touring and working on a temporary basis in the EU.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK took an ambitious approach to negotiations with the EU, and our proposals would have ensured that touring artists and their support staff did not need work-permits to perform in the EU. Regrettably, these were rejected by the EU.
It is not UK Government policy to negotiate visa-waivers. The Government is focussed on supporting the creative sector to adapt to requirements for touring in the EU and has now confirmed the vast majority of Member States offer visa and work permit free routes for touring. The UK Government has engaged with the remaining Member States 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.
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.
Asked by: Ashley Dalton (Labour - West Lancashire)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will hold discussions with his counterparts in EU countries on allowing UK support crew members working with touring musicians and performing artists to work in Europe for more than 90 days without applying for a visa.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The UK Government is committed to supporting the creative sector to adapt to requirements for touring in the EU. The vast majority of Member States including the UK's biggest touring markets offer visa and work permit free routes for musicians and creative performers. The Government has engaged with the remaining Member States 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.
Asked by: Carol Monaghan (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North West)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has had discussions with her counterparts in the European Union on introducing a new visa which would allow people in the creative industries to spend more than 90 days consecutively working in EU countries.
Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
This Government recognises the importance of the UK’s creative and cultural industries, not only to the economy and international reputation of the United Kingdom, but also to the wellbeing and enrichment of its people. We want musicians and performers to be able to tour abroad easily.
EU Member States are principally responsible for deciding the rules governing what work UK visitors can undertake in each Member State. That is why we have engaged with EU Member States about the importance of touring; most recently raised at the EU-UK Partnership Council in March. From these discussions, almost all Member States have confirmed they offer visa and work permit free routes for musicians and creative performers, many for up to 90 days. This includes most of the UK’s biggest touring markets such as France, Germany, Spain and the Netherlands.
Beyond these exemptions, creatives are required to obtain the relevant visa or work permit for the relevant Member State, as artists from other third countries are required to do. We have developed guidance on GOV.UK to support artists to understand the visa and permit requirements for medium and long term stays in Member States.
The Government is committed to supporting the sector to adapt to these new arrangements, and we continue to work with the sector and directly with Member States to clarify what creative workers need to do.
Asked by: Lucy Powell (Labour (Co-op) - Manchester Central)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has made an estimate of the number of UK businesses which have established a subsidiary in the EU to avoid the cabotage rules impacting touring musicians and others.
Answered by Richard Holden - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
The dual registration measure came into force in July 2022 to enable eligible specialist events hauliers to transfer their vehicles temporarily between their two operator licences without needing to change vehicle mid-tour.
The measure does not enable the avoidance of cabotage rules, rather it allows specialist hauliers to undertake journeys in GB on the basis of their GB operator licence and to do the same in the other location on the basis of their EU or other third country operator licence.
The Department understands that seven operators – which have an operating base in GB and in the EU or other third country – are currently making use of this measure.