Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Touring Musicians: Support to Work in Europe

Thursday 18 November 2021 · 3 questions

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

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 3 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Government working to support touring musicians in Europe
  • Spain now offers visa and work routes for musicians and performers
  • Government aims to use progress with Spain to influence remaining countries

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Alex Davies-Jones Lab Pontypridd
Business & Trade
Context

The question arises from challenges faced by touring musicians who require visa and work routes to perform across Europe. The issue has been highlighted by industry organizations working tirelessly on the matter.

Question

What progress the Government have made to help support touring musicians work in Europe?

Answer from Julia Lopez

We are working hard to help touring musicians to work in Europe. Arrangements are, in many areas, much more workable than has been reported. I am pleased to say that after this week's very good announcement from Spain, 21 member states now offer visa and work routes for musicians and performers. Accompanied portable musical instruments do not require a carnet and splitter vans are not subject to EU cabotage rules.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Challenges remaining in six member states were acknowledged but no concrete timeline or specific actions were provided to address these issues.

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Q2 Chris Elmore Lab Bridgend
Foreign Affairs Culture, Media & Sport
Context

The question follows up on the Minister's initial response regarding Spain's visa and work routes for touring musicians. It highlights ongoing industry concerns about unresolved issues, particularly cabotage rules.

Question

I appreciate what the Minister says in terms of Spain, although it should be pointed out that the industry is saying that it has been working with its counterparts in Spain and actually the Government have not been terribly helpful, so it has been up to the community themselves. The Minister mentions cabotage rules. As she has been working with the industry, will she set out when these issues will be resolved? It is all well and good having meetings, but if things are not resolved, we are destroying options for our talented musicians to travel around Europe. They cannot take their speakers and mics and all the other things that they need in order to do their jobs. The Government really should be doing so much better on this issue.

Answer from Julia Lopez

I thank the hon. Gentleman for raising his concerns. I reiterate that there has been a real team effort on this. We have had fantastic working with our embassy in Madrid, with the industry and with Ministers from across Government, so I would push back on that. We discussed some of the technical issues on transportation only yesterday with the Department for Transport, and there are various things that I am going to take away and discuss with the Secretary of State for Transport.

Partly answered

Not addressed: No specific timeline or actions were provided for resolving unresolved cabotage rules and other issues.

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Q3 Alex Davies-Jones Lab Pontypridd
Culture, Media & Sport
Context

Following the Minister's initial response, this supplementary question focuses on the remaining challenges faced by touring musicians across six member states where visa and work routes are yet to be established.

Question

I wholeheartedly welcome the news that musicians will no longer need visas to go on short-term tours in Spain, and I am hugely grateful to those in the sector, particularly the Association of British Orchestras and Live, who have worked so tirelessly on the matter. This just goes to show that these problems are not insurmountable and can be overcome. However, as the Minister stated, there are still six member states where problems persist. Will she provide an update on the discussions she is having with those six member states so that musicians and touring bodies are able to carry out their work overseas?

Answer from Julia Lopez

Yes, we are hopefully going to use this moment with Spain to make progress with the remaining countries. As there are only six left, we think that we can make a lot of good progress, and we will be having meetings accordingly.

Partly answered

Not addressed: No specific details or timelines were provided regarding discussions or progress with the remaining six member states.

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