Asked by
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of
the challenges for craftspeople in (1) travelling to and from,
and (2) trading with, the European Union.
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for
Business and Trade ( of Garvel) (Con)
The Government recognise the value of the crafts sector, which
contributed £400 million gross value added to the UK economy in
2022, as well as the importance of trade between the UK and the
EU. We acknowledge that UK crafts exporters may face challenges
regarding export requirements, visas and work permits. To help
businesses navigate those challenges, including the visa and work
permit rules of EU member states, the Government have published
detailed guidance on GOV.UK.
(Lab)
I thank the Minister for that Answer. However, official advice
about trading with the EU is not really tailored to self-employed
craftspeople, nor to crafts microbusinesses, and in some cases it
has simply been wrong. In addition, makers exhibiting or selling
their crafts have to pay considerable sums for their own work to
be imported back to the UK from the EU. As a result of all this,
and various other challenges, the easy movement of those wishing
to learn, teach and train in craft from and to the UK and the EU
has now virtually ceased. Bearing in mind the contribution made
by crafts that the Minister has underlined, would he consider
going further than he suggested and agreeing to look at existing
short-term routes to exempt the immigration skills charge, in
line with the sciences; reducing the cost of the certificate of
sponsorship, in line with sports; and an immigration health
surcharge, based on shorter work durations?
of Garvel (Con)
I thank the noble Baroness. I recognise her detailed involvement
in this sector, which is part of the creative industries
sector—one of the five identified by the Chancellor that will
power our economy in the 21st century. It is a small part, run
and characterised by microbusinesses, which no doubt have more
difficult travel arrangements than they had before. The
Government are working to support the creative sector. We see
good growth in the creative sector—higher growth than in many
others. We are working with the EU on a state-by-state basis and
23 of 27 countries now have bespoke arrangements and rules for
travel for crafts folk, as well as, for example,
our musicians
We will continue to encourage that bilateral.
The (CB)
My Lords, the problems the Question alludes to are undoubtedly
mutual; they are problems for British craftsmen trying to go to
Europe and the other way around. The trade and co-operation
agreement produced 24 committees to look at issues between
Britain and the EU. Could the Minister tell us which committee is
charged with looking at this issue? Can he assure us that that
committee does have this on its agenda?
of Garvel (Con)
I thank the noble Earl. I am well aware that there is a large
number of committees. In DBT we are trying our best to remove
barriers to trade and perhaps reduce the number of committees. In
this case, I will need to go and ask the question to find out
which committee is looking after craftspeople.
The Lord Speaker ( of Alcluith)
My Lords, the noble Lord, , is participating
remotely.
(LD) [V]
My Lords, crippling restrictions on working in Europe are
blighting the lives of 2 million people employed in our creative
industries. This is because the Government completely omitted our
largest sector after financial services from the Brexit trade
deal, and then spent four years failing to fix their blunder.
Will the Minister take this opportunity to apologise to those who
previously had a career in music, dance, theatre or fashion but
are now having to drive taxis or flip burgers?
of Garvel (Con)
I thank the noble Lord for that question. We have a trade and
co-operation agreement. In fact, our Brexit deal was one of the
most progressive trade deals we had at the time of Brexit, which
has been capitalised upon now, to 73 countries comprising 60% of
global trade. Therefore, we have no tariffs and quotas for UK-EU
goods trade. The Government's aim is to maximise and make the
best of that. The British people voted for Brexit to release the
benefits of Brexit, which are increasingly coming through in our
economy and trade. There are some costs to be borne along the
way.
(CB)
My Lords, could the Minister explain to the House how it is that
you do a deal with the EU on a state-by-state basis?
of Garvel (Con)
I refer the noble Lord to my colleague in the other place, MP, who is the Minister for
Europe. He is spending an increasing amount of time in European
capitals. We also have 300 embassy staff working in the EU on
deal-by-deal arrangements with countries to help, for example,
our musicians and
crafts folk. It is working very well.
(CB)
My Lords, craftspeople, like all other travellers to the EU from
the UK, face increasing delays again in the autumn when new
strictures come in, with new requirements for fingerprinting, et
cetera. Can the Minister bring the House up to date with what is
happening on that front? Will there be yet more
postponements?
of Garvel (Con)
I thank the noble Baroness for that. The craft sector is being
supported. My own department, DBT, is delivering a programme of
trade promotion activity in Europe and elsewhere. We also have a
new means of trade, by way of digital, as well as by having to go
there. Perhaps our carbon footprint has been reduced by making
fewer trips to some of those shows. For example, we will be doing
one in Dubai in July, for Middle East design and hospitality
week. We are taking a group of craftspeople to sell their
wares.
of West Kilbride (Lab)
My Lords, one of the other great issues facing the skilled craft
industry today is that 98% of skilled practitioners are solo
traders or microbusinesses, as we have heard. That means that
without effective apprenticeship schemes, their skills and
knowledge will retire with them— knowledge and skills such as
clock-making, Scottish carpentry, paper marbling, tinsmithing and
cricket ball making. Despite this, apprenticeship starts have
fallen by a third over the past decade, and £1 billion raised by
the apprenticeship levy goes unspent each year. What steps are
the Government taking to address this decline and to save some of
those 150 varieties of craft apprenticeships or craft
businesses?
of Garvel (Con)
I thank the noble Lord for that. He is basically describing the
characteristics of this sector, which is populated by a large
number of small, individual microbusinesses, quite often sole
traders, all of whom are passionate about what they do and many
of whom come to this as a second or third career. Therefore, it
is a difficult sector to organise with a top-down approach from
government. There is no question that many schemes are available
to help and encourage people, not least in the charitable sector.
I was a trustee of DofE, which does a lot around the crafts
sector, and we know what the King does in terms of his programme
at Dumfries House. We see how popular “The Repair Shop” is on
television; the most popular charity in my town of Greenock is
called the men's shed.
Lord (LD)
My Lords, when Henry III ordered the rebuilding of Westminster
Abbey a mere 750 years ago, there were craftsmen from Italy,
France, Germany and the Low Countries working on it. Many of the
English masons and others had also worked on cathedrals in
France, the Low Countries and elsewhere. Now it seems much more
difficult to get that sort of easy exchange between highly
skilled craftsmen. Have we gone backwards?
of Garvel (Con)
I thank the noble Lord for that question. We should get a report
on the rebuilding of Notre Dame Cathedral and work out exactly
where the tradesmen and craftsmen have come from. I think we will
find that the French are very keen to promote that as an
opportunity for their own craftspeople, not necessarily for the
wider community.
(CB)
My Lords, I treat scientific research as a craft. Will the
Minister, either now or later in writing, give us the numbers of
PhD students studying scientific research coming from Europe to
the United Kingdom and flowing in the other direction, from the
UK to other European countries in the European Union?
of Garvel (Con)
I am very happy to write to the noble Lord with that information.
