Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Musicians: Touring the EU

Thursday 16 September 2021 · 4 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 1 Partly answered 3 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Ministers, officials and diplomats are speaking to EU member states to establish arrangements for touring musicians and other artists.
  • At least 19 out of 27 member states allow some visa and permit-free touring for UK musicians.
  • The Minister will ask the Secretary of State to look at implementing a pan-European EU visa and work permit waiver proposal.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Wendy Chamberlain Lib Dem North East Fife
Brexit Business & Trade
Context

The UK's withdrawal from the EU has impacted European tours for UK-based musicians.

Question

What support her Department is providing to help touring musicians to work in Europe following the UK's withdrawal from the EU?

Answer from Julia Lopez

Ministers, officials and diplomats have been speaking to EU member states to establish arrangements for touring musicians and other artists. I can confirm that at least 19 out of 27 member states allow some visa and permit-free touring. We are continuing to engage with the remaining member states to encourage them to align requirements more closely with our own.

Answered
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Q2 Emma Lewell Lab South Shields
Immigration Business & Trade
Context

There has been limited progress on facilitating easier touring for independent musicians in Europe, despite previous initiatives.

Question

The cost and bureaucracy involved now prohibit South Shields' independent musicians from showcasing their talents across Europe. The hon. Member asked the Minister to implement a pan-European EU visa and work permit waiver on her first day as Secretary of State; will she do so?

Answer from Julia Lopez

I thank the hon. Lady for her question; I had a wonderful break up in the north-east and enjoyed her constituency over the summer. I will be happy to ask the Secretary of State to look at that proposal, but we put forward, as part of the EU negotiations, a very fair proposal to our EU member state counterparts, which, unfortunately, they rejected.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The specific request for implementation was not addressed directly; instead, the Minister focused on past proposals and rejections.

How: Under Review, Previous Actions

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Q3 Wendy Chamberlain Lib Dem North East Fife
Brexit Culture, Media & Sport
Context

The current measures are insufficient for many smaller groups and independent artists, leading to increased bureaucracy and costs.

Question

North East Fife hosts festivals where local artists can share their work with performers from Europe but clearly sufficient steps have not been taken. What other steps can the Minister take to ensure that we get people out to Europe and performing?

Answer from Julia Lopez

I thank the hon. Lady for her question. As I mentioned, there have been intensive negotiations at a ministerial level with our EU counterparts and a lot of progress has been made. We now have agreements with 19 of the 27 members states that allow visa and permit-free touring, but we want to make more progress because we know this is a very important issue for musicians and artists across the country.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The specific ask was not directly addressed; instead, general progress made so far was highlighted.

How: Previous Actions, Ongoing Negotiations

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Q4 Alison McGovern Lab Birkenhead
Brexit
Context

Despite the Department's assertions of progress, industry feedback indicates no substantial changes have occurred.

Question

Since the original Brexit deal was signed, what exactly has changed for UK musicians touring in Europe?

Answer from Julia Lopez

I thank the hon. Lady for her passion, and we share that intensity of desire to get this issue sorted for UK musicians. The challenge is our desire to secure the same freedoms for our musicians in the EU that EU musicians are allowed when they come over to the UK. We will continue our intensive negotiations, but we have to accept that this is not in our control.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The specific changes requested were not detailed; focus was on ongoing challenges and negotiations.

How: Ongoing Negotiations

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