Asked by: Andrew Gwynne (Labour - Denton and Reddish)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect of the UK-EU Trade Cooperation Agreement on the UK mountain leaders sector.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
The UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) provides a framework under which the UK and the EU may agree Mutual Recognition Agreements (MRAs) on the recognition of professional qualification covering the UK and all 27 EU Member States. Once an arrangement is adopted under the TCA, UK professionals will be able to use the terms outlined in the arrangement to secure recognition for their professional qualifications within EU Member States.
Arrangements are implemented on a profession-by-profession basis and depend upon reciprocal cooperation from both the UK and EU Member States. The framework enables UK and EU professional bodies or authorities to make recommendations on MRAs to the Partnership Council. Once an arrangement has been adopted, a professional qualified in the UK (e.g. an engineer) will be able to use the terms outlined in the arrangement to secure recognition of their qualifications within an EU Member State.
The Government continues to engage with stakeholders in the tourism sector to hear their priorities for the UK’s future relationship with the EU. Officials are currently engaging with the tourism trade bodies, including the British Association of International Mountain Leaders (BAIML) to gather feedback on priority regulators and qualifications for the tourism sector.
The government will provide help and guidance to UK regulatory authorities and professional bodies to help them benefit from these provisions as well as other recognition paths. Where visas apply, our agreement with the EU contains measures that will help ensure processes are as prompt and smooth as possible.
Asked by: Janet Daby (Labour - Lewisham East)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of introducing a work visa that professionals can use to travel to the 27 EU states with one document.
Answered by Paul Scully
There is no precedent in a Free Trade Agreement for EU Member States offering a single visa for work.
However, in the Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA), the UK and EU did agree a range of facilitations for those travelling temporarily for work (Mode 4). The commitments agreed between the UK and the EU guarantee market access to business travellers in a wide number of sectors, waive work-permits for a range of short-term business visits, and provide for a minimum standard for how service providers should be treated when working in the other Party. We have also agreed commitments that will make it easier for professionals engaged in cross-border trade to apply for visas.
Commitments in the Mode 4 chapter are in addition to the EU already having legislated to allow UK nationals to travel visa-free for short stays of up to 90 days in any 180-day period. This will allow UK nationals travelling to, and within, the Schengen Area to undertake a limited range of activities, such as tourism, or attending business meetings, or cultural and sports events.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of visa arrangements with the EU for UK musicians.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The UK and EU have unilaterally decided not to impose visas on short-stay visitors. For short stays of up to 90 days in any 180-day period, UK nationals will not need a visa when travelling to and within the Schengen Area to undertake a limited range of activities, such as tourism, or attending business meetings, or cultural and sports events. However, Member States can require a visa for what they regard as “paid activity”.
Therefore, UK cultural professionals, including musicians, seeking to tour within the EU will be required to check domestic immigration and visitor rules for each Member State in which they intend to tour. Although some Member States may allow touring without a visa or work permit, others will require musicians and other creative professionals to obtain a visa or work permit, in the same way that they are required for other international artists.
We recognise that this means there will be some additional processes for those in cultural and creative industries working across the EU. However this does not mean our sectors will not be able to work in the EU nor that our position has changed on being as welcoming as ever to talented EU artists and musicians wishing to perform in the UK.
We are delivering an extensive programme of engagement with the industry to assess impacts and support these sectors in understanding new requirements. The Secretary of State had a very productive discussion with representatives from across the creative and cultural sectors on the issue on Wednesday 20th January. We have also published guidance online, signposting to official information provided by EU countries about their business travel routes, which is regularly updated.
We will also look at whether we can work with our partners in EU Member States to find ways to make life easier for those working in the creative industries in our respective countries.
Asked by: Conor McGinn (Independent - St Helens North)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what his Department's policy is on enabling UK creative workers to travel to the EU for touring and entertainment purposes.
Answered by Caroline Dinenage
The UK and EU have unilaterally decided not to impose visas on short-stay visitors. For short stays of up to 90 days in any 180-day period, UK nationals will not need a visa when travelling to and within the Schengen Area to undertake a limited range of activities, such as tourism, or attending business meetings, or cultural and sports events. However, Member States can require a visa for what they regard as “paid activity”.
Therefore, UK cultural professionals, including musicians, seeking to tour within the EU will be required to check domestic immigration and visitor rules for each Member State in which they intend to tour. Although some Member States may allow touring without a visa or work permit, others will require musicians and other creative professionals to obtain a visa or work permit, in the same way that they are required for other international artists.
We recognise that this means there will be some additional processes for those in cultural and creative industries working across the EU. However this does not mean our sectors will not be able to work in the EU nor that our position has changed on being as welcoming as ever to talented EU artists and musicians wishing to perform in the UK.
We are delivering an extensive programme of engagement with the industry to assess impacts and support these sectors in understanding new requirements. The Secretary of State had a very productive discussion with representatives from across the creative and cultural sectors on the issue on Wednesday 20th January. We have also published guidance online, signposting to official information provided by EU countries about their business travel routes, which is regularly updated.
We will also look at whether we can work with our partners in EU Member States to find ways to make life easier for those working in the creative industries in our respective countries.
Asked by: Nick Fletcher (Conservative - Don Valley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what his Department's advice is to clinically vulnerable British nationals who are shielding in the Schengen Area, who do not have travel visas and cannot remain isolated for longer than 90 days.
Answered by Wendy Morton
The current advice for those across the UK remains that you must stay at home and not travel abroad unless it is for a permitted exempt reason. Our advice to British nationals abroad is that they should follow the public health advice of the country which they are in, including current COVID-19 restrictions and whether they should take additional precautions due to underlying health conditions. As of 1 January 2021, British Citizens will not need a visa when travelling to the EU for visits of up to 90 days in any 180-day period, for tourism and similar activities. Requirements for longer stays are subject to Member States' national procedures. Any queries should be directed to the relevant immigration authorities in that country. UK nationals lawfully resident in the EU before 31 December 2020, and their family members, will be protected by the Withdrawal Agreement. If a British national overseas requires consular assistance, the FCDO can be contacted by phone or email 24 hours a day, seven days a week and 365 days a year. The kind of assistance we offer is tailored to the individual circumstances of each case. More detail on the assistance the FCDO can provide to British nationals abroad is set out in the publication: 'Support for British nationals abroad: A Guide' (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/support-for-british-nationals-abroad-a-guide).
Asked by: Stuart C McDonald (Scottish National Party - Cumbernauld, Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what her policy is on visa-free 90-day tours by musicians between the EU and UK; and whether she plans to take steps to secure an improved agreement on visa-free travel for musicians.
Answered by Kevin Foster
The UK Government already makes a range of generous provision for musicians and other cultural performers to help support the vibrant cultural life of our Union.
Musicians visiting the UK may perform at events, make personal appearances, take part in competitions, promotional activities and auditions, for up to 6 months without the need for formal sponsorship or, for non-visa nationals, without a visa if they are not being paid beyond expenses or prize money. They can also receive payment for appearances at permit free festivals for up to 6 months, or for up to one month for a specific engagements, under the Visitor route.
Musicians and support staff who are being paid in the UK may also qualify for entry under the Tier 5 Creative Worker route, if they are sponsored by a UK entity licensed with UK Visas and Immigration for this purpose. Entry is for up to 12 months and the relevant rules also provide for accompanying dependants.
Entry under the Tier 5 Creative Worker route is visa-free for non-visa nationals, which includes EU Nationals, where entry is for no more than three months.
We set our provisions based on the assessment of the needs of our United Kingdom’s cultural sector, rather than tying them to decisions made by foreign jurisdictions and Governments. As I recently outlined to Members of the Scottish Parliament’s Culture, Tourism, Europe and External Affairs Committee, we are specifically reviewing the provisions on Permit Free Festivals and Permitted Paid Engagement for other cultural events in response to the points raised by those in the sector, particularly the Edinburgh International Festival.
Asked by: David Evennett (Conservative - Bexleyheath and Crayford)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps he is taking to help increase tourism to the UK after the UK leaves the EU.
Answered by Jeremy Wright
We are working with the tourism and hospitality sector to ensure it remains globally competitive.
Whether the UK leaves with a deal or not, the UK and the EU have proposed reciprocal visa-free travel arrangements to enable UK and EU citizens to continue to travel freely for tourism in the future. The Government has also confirmed that EU nationals can continue to travel on a national ID card until December 2020 and use e-gates when travelling on a passport. The Home Office has also announced this week that the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Singapore and South Korea have been added to the list of countries whose nationals are eligible to use ePassport gates to enter the UK.
For those visitors who need a visa, the UK Visas and Immigration service (UKVI) aims to deliver a world-class customer experience that is competitive, flexible and accessible. UKVI have a number of projects underway that will deliver significant customer service improvements this year.
The proposed tourism sector deal, which is in formal negotiations, has a strong focus on competitiveness through boosting connectivity (both transport connections and digital connectivity) and working with destinations to build quality tourism products that meet visitors needs and expectations. A key focus is also making the sector more attractive to UK nationals through investment in skills, career development and retention policies.
VisitBritain are also working hard to promote the UK as a destination, using targeted marketing in Europe, increasing work with partnerships such as EasyJet and increasing press engagement in the tourism market, featuring activities for visitors to do in the UK this summer.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions he has had with the Home Secretary on short stay visitor visas for EEA nationals wishing to visit the UK after the UK leaves the EU.
Answered by Michael Ellis
My Department works closely with the Home Office on policies that affect tourism. The UK and the EU have proposed reciprocal visa-free travel arrangements to enable UK, EU and EEA citizens to continue to travel freely for tourism in the future. This is the case in both a deal or no deal scenario.
The Government has also confirmed that EU nationals and citizens of Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland can continue to travel on a national ID card until December 2020 and use e-passport gates when travelling on a passport. We have published all of this information on Gov.uk.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that the UK will remain competitive in the tourism sector in the event of a no-deal Brexit.
Answered by Lord Ashton of Hyde
We are working with the tourism and hospitality sector to ensure it remains globally competitive.
Whether the UK leaves with a deal or not, the UK and the EU have proposed reciprocal visa-free travel arrangements to enable UK and EU citizens to continue to travel freely for tourism in the future. The Government has also confirmed that EU nationals can continue to travel on a national ID card until December 2020 and use e-gates when travelling on a passport. The Home Office has also announced that the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Singapore and South Korea will be added to the list of countries whose nationals will be eligible to use ePassport gates to enter the UK from Summer 2019.
For those visitors who need a visa, the UK Visas and Immigration service (UKVI) aims to deliver a world-class customer experience that is competitive, flexible and accessible. UKVI have a number of projects underway that will deliver significant customer service improvements this year.
In terms of access to labour, the Government has confirmed that in a no deal scenario EU nationals can work or study in the UK for up to three months and those who wish to stay longer will need to apply to the Home Office for leave to remain within three months of arrival. Subject to identity, criminality and security checks, leave to remain will be granted for 36 months which will include permission to work and study. Those who wish to stay longer-term will need to apply in due course under the future immigration system. We will continue to engage with the tourism sector through the Tourism Industry Council on the proposed future immigration system from 2021.
The proposed tourism sector deal, which is in formal negotiations, has a strong focus on competitiveness through boosting connectivity (both transport connections and digital connectivity) and working with destinations to build quality tourism products that meet visitors needs and expectations. A key focus is also making the sector more attractive to UK nationals through investment in skills, career development and retention policies.
Asked by: Jo Stevens (Labour - Cardiff Central)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 29 October 2018 to Question 183507 on Visas: Tourism, what information his Department holds on the number of visitor visa requests that have been refused in each of the last three years.
Answered by Caroline Nokes
Information on the number of visit visa application outcomes (grants, refusals, withdrawn and lapsed cases) is published in the quarterly Immigration Statistics, Visas volume 1 table vi_01_q, latest edition at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/immigration-statistics-year-ending-june-2018/list-of-tables#visas