Asked by: Lord Jones of Cheltenham (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to request that the British Museum (1) de-accession 11 Ethiopian altar tablets (tabots) which they have held since 1868, and (2) return them to the Ethiopian Orthodox Church.
Answered by Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The British Museum operates at arm’s length and independently of HM Government. Decisions relating to the care and management of the objects in their collections are therefore a matter for its trustees. This responsibility of the trustees is set out in the museum’s legislation, the British Museum Act 1963, which also describes the limited circumstances under which the museum may deaccession items from its collections.
Asked by: Fleur Anderson (Labour - Putney)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent steps he has taken to strengthen relations and cultural exchange between the UK and (a) New Zealand, (b) Canada and (c) Australia.
Answered by Vicky Ford
The UK has strong relations with New Zealand, Canada and Australia through our modern partnerships built on shared values and history. These partnerships are reinforced by close friendship, prosperity, people-to-people links, commonwealth membership and cultural exchange. The Foreign Secretary is in regular contact with their counterparts in New Zealand, Canada and Australia, and has spoken to each of them in the last month. One example of the close cultural exchanges and people-to-people connections we share with these countries is the UK/Australia Season. Minister Adams spoke at the season launch event on 1 September at the British Museum, where he welcomed a joint British Council / Australian Government project that highlights our shared history and culture while reflecting on modern Britain and Australia.
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how many meetings there have been of the cultural and creative touring working group to date.
Answered by Caroline Dinenage
The Government recognises the importance of touring to the creative and cultural sectors, and is committed to helping them navigate the new rules under the Trade and Cooperation Agreement.
The DCMS-led working group on creative and cultural touring, which involves sector representatives and other key government departments, is looking at the issues and options to help the sectors resume touring with ease as soon as it is safe to do so.
Membership of the Working Group includes a range of sector representative bodies, including: Association of Independent Music, the Music Managers’ Forum, Musicians’ Union, UK Music, BPI, LIVE, the Association of British Orchestras, UK Theatre, One Dance UK, the Incorporated Society of Musicians, the Creative Industries Federation, the Featured Artists Coalition, National Museum Directors’ Council, ACE, the British Fashion Council, the Production Services Association, Creative Scotland, Arts Councils for each of the nations, Logistics UK, the Road Haulage Association, #WeMakeEvents and the Council of Music Makers.
Sector representatives are encouraged to reach out to others to ensure the working group hears and understands the views and concerns of organisations and individuals right across the cultural and creative sectors.
Following the Secretary of State-chaired roundtable with the sector on 20 January, the Working Group has met four times. There have been a number of additional meetings across government and with the sectors affected to discuss in more detail the issues that have been raised during those meetings.
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what the membership is of the cultural and creative touring working group.
Answered by Caroline Dinenage
The Government recognises the importance of touring to the creative and cultural sectors, and is committed to helping them navigate the new rules under the Trade and Cooperation Agreement.
The DCMS-led working group on creative and cultural touring, which involves sector representatives and other key government departments, is looking at the issues and options to help the sectors resume touring with ease as soon as it is safe to do so.
Membership of the Working Group includes a range of sector representative bodies, including: Association of Independent Music, the Music Managers’ Forum, Musicians’ Union, UK Music, BPI, LIVE, the Association of British Orchestras, UK Theatre, One Dance UK, the Incorporated Society of Musicians, the Creative Industries Federation, the Featured Artists Coalition, National Museum Directors’ Council, ACE, the British Fashion Council, the Production Services Association, Creative Scotland, Arts Councils for each of the nations, Logistics UK, the Road Haulage Association, #WeMakeEvents and the Council of Music Makers.
Sector representatives are encouraged to reach out to others to ensure the working group hears and understands the views and concerns of organisations and individuals right across the cultural and creative sectors.
Following the Secretary of State-chaired roundtable with the sector on 20 January, the Working Group has met four times. There have been a number of additional meetings across government and with the sectors affected to discuss in more detail the issues that have been raised during those meetings.
Asked by: Lord Smith of Finsbury (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Barran on 9 March (HL13616), whether their working group on the ability of UK artists to perform in the EU includes, or will hear from, performers with experience of applying for the necessary visas.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The Government recognises the importance of the creative and cultural sectors, and is committed to helping them navigate the new rules under the Trade and Cooperation Agreement.
The DCMS-led working group on creative and cultural touring, which involves sector representatives and other key government departments, is looking at the issues and options to help the sectors resume touring with ease as soon as it is safe to do so.
Membership of the Working Group includes a range of sector representative bodies, including: Association of Independent Music, the Music Managers’ Forum, Musicians’ Union, UK Music, BPI, LIVE, the Association of British Orchestras, UK Theatre, One Dance UK, the Incorporated Society of Musicians, the Creative Industries Federation, the Featured Artists Coalition, National Museum Directors’ Council, ACE, the British Fashion Council, the Production Services Association, Creative Scotland, Arts Councils for each of the nations, Logistics UK, the Road Haulage Association, #WeMakeEvents and the Council of Music Makers .
Sector representatives that are in attendance are encouraged to reach out to others to ensure the working group hears and understands the concerns from organisations and individuals right across the cultural and creative sectors.
Asked by: Lord Smith of Finsbury (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Barran on 9 March (HL13616), to provide a list of the people they have appointed to their working group on the ability of UK artists to perform in the EU.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The Government recognises the importance of the creative and cultural sectors, and is committed to helping them navigate the new rules under the Trade and Cooperation Agreement.
The DCMS-led working group on creative and cultural touring, which involves sector representatives and other key government departments, is looking at the issues and options to help the sectors resume touring with ease as soon as it is safe to do so.
Membership of the Working Group includes a range of sector representative bodies, including: Association of Independent Music, the Music Managers’ Forum, Musicians’ Union, UK Music, BPI, LIVE, the Association of British Orchestras, UK Theatre, One Dance UK, the Incorporated Society of Musicians, the Creative Industries Federation, the Featured Artists Coalition, National Museum Directors’ Council, ACE, the British Fashion Council, the Production Services Association, Creative Scotland, Arts Councils for each of the nations, Logistics UK, the Road Haulage Association, #WeMakeEvents and the Council of Music Makers .
Sector representatives that are in attendance are encouraged to reach out to others to ensure the working group hears and understands the concerns from organisations and individuals right across the cultural and creative sectors.
Asked by: Sajid Javid (Conservative - Bromsgrove)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what progress his Department has made on delivering support for the culture and heritage sector through the Culture Recovery Fund in (a) Worcestershire and (b) Bromsgrove district.
Answered by Caroline Dinenage
Through the Culture Recovery Fund, 2 awards have been made in the Local Authority of Bromsgrove to date, totalling £267,948. These are:
Avoncroft Museum (£183,943)
Tardebigge Locks - Canal and River Trust (£84,005)
Across the constituencies of Worcester, West-Worcestershire, East-Worcestershire, Bromsgrove, Wyre Forest, and Redditch (which approximates Worcestershire), 22 awards have been made so far, totalling £4,132,799
Please note awards from the first round of Culture Recovery Fund are still being processed, and a second round of grant funding is currently open. Please see the website of the relevant delivery bodies for further detail (Arts Council England, National Lottery Heritage Fund/Historic England, and the British Film Institute).
Asked by: Oliver Heald (Conservative - North East Hertfordshire)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of a national museum for the study of Black, Asian and minority ethnic history and culture on a similar scale and model to the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington DC; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Caroline Dinenage
There are currently no plans to expand the portfolio of DCMS-Sponsored national museums.
Many of the existing national museums display material relating to Black, Asian and minority ethnic history and culture as part of their permanent exhibitions. This includes material displayed at the British Museum, National Portrait Gallery, V&A, Tate, Horniman, and National Museums Liverpool. These collections include art, ceramics, fashion and photography. Many museums work with diaspora communities to better understand collection items and place them in historical and contemporary context. A number of museums have also held temporary exhibitions that focus on Black, Asian and minority ethnic history and culture.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effect on levels of biodiversity of the exploration and exploitation of seabed minerals by methods used in deep sea mining.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra is investigating the risks and environmental effects of deep sea mining through a cross-Government working group including the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science, the Joint Nature Conservation Committee, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO). The working group is supported by input from the National Oceanography Centre, Natural History Museum and British Geological Survey who are involved in a number of ongoing academic projects considering the impacts of deep sea mining. In addition, FCO and Defra commissioned a workshop in 2019 which brought together UK universities, industry and consultancies involved in the assessment of deep sea mining activities, to share information, progress and research findings. The outputs of these discussions are being used to inform the UK’s input into the development of regulations, standards and guidelines at the International Seabed Authority (ISA).
The UK implements a precautionary principle to deep sea mining and has agreed not to sponsor or support the issuing of any exploitation licences for deep sea mining projects until there is sufficient scientific evidence about the potential impact on deep sea ecosystems and strong and enforceable environmental standards have been developed by the ISA and are in place.
Asked by: Caroline Lucas (Green Party - Brighton, Pavilion)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the (a) effect on and (b) risks to the environment of deep sea mining; and if he will make it his policy to pursue a moratorium.
Answered by Thérèse Coffey
Defra is investigating the risks and environmental effects of deep sea mining through a cross Government working group including Cefas, the Joint Nature Conservation Committee, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. The working group is supported by input from the National Oceanography Centre, Natural History Museum and British Geological Survey who are involved in a number of ongoing academic projects considering the impacts of deep sea mining. In addition, FCO and Defra commissioned a workshop in February 2019 which brought together UK universities, industry and consultancies involved in the assessment of deep sea mining activities, to share information, progress and research findings. The outputs of these discussions are being used to inform the UK’s input into the development of regulations, standards and guidelines at the International Seabed Authority.
The UK is pushing for transparent, science-based and environmentally sound regulation of seabed mining by the International Seabed Authority to ensure effective protections of deep sea habitats and biodiversity while allowing UK businesses to realise the commercial opportunities.
We are using our influence to secure the adoption of a mining code in 2020 that provides for robust and accountable oversight of mining activity. This includes (i) enshrining the precautionary principle and an ecosystem approach in the mining code; (ii) ensuring that in addition to the core regulations, effective and binding standards and guidelines to ensure environmentally sound mining have been adopted before exploitation licences are granted, and that these reflect the different environmental and other features of the different mineral deposits; (iii) ensuring that Regional Environmental Management Plans (REMPs) with robust environmental objectives are established before exploitation licences can be granted and that there is a clear regulatory link between the REMPs and exploitation licences; and (iv) allowing for the suspension of mining activities when operators fail to adhere to environmental safeguards or where new evidence of risk of serious harm arises.