New multipliers for retail, hospitality, and leisure (RHL) were announced at Budget 2024. Government has been clear that the intention was for their scope to broadly reflect the scope of the RHL relief, which was centred around RHL properties that are “reasonably accessible to visiting members of the public”. As recording studios are not generally open to members of the public, they were unlikely to be receiving RHL relief.

In recognition of the impact of the 2026 revaluation on bills, the Government introduced a support package worth £4.3 billion at Budget 2025 to protect ratepayers against large overnight increases in bills. Additionally, many recording studios are also likely to benefit from Small Business Rates Relief (SBRR). SBRR is available to businesses with a single property below a set rateable value. Eligible properties under £12,000 receive 100 per cent relief, which means around a third of properties in England pay no business rates at all. Tapered support is available to properties valued between £12,000 and £15,000.

The UK and EU agreed that we will work towards the establishment of a balanced Youth Experience Scheme.

We have agreed that any scheme will be capped, subject to a visa requirement and time-limited, but the exact parameters are subject to ongoing discussions.

We are working towards concluding negotiations on the Youth Experience Scheme by the time of the next EU-UK summit.

On 20 July, the Prime Minister spoke to António Costa, President of the European Council, and agreed their respective teams would work closely towards a UK-EU Summit later in the year; the agenda has not yet been agreed.

Securing better access to the EU for our creative and cultural sectors is a priority for this Government, and helping touring artists is a manifesto commitment.

We have continued to build on the commitment made last May at the inaugural UK-EU Summit through sustained engagement with the European Commission and Member States, ensuring that the practical challenges for UK artists operating across the EU are well understood. Alongside tackling these operational challenges, we remain vocal supporters of the vast cultural and economic benefits our creative industries provide to audiences, venues, and regional economies across both areas. The Government is dedicated to pursuing pragmatic, dual-benefit solutions that serve both UK and EU sectors.

We committed in the Creative Industries Sector Plan to appoint a Freelance Champion, who will advocate for the creative sector’s freelancers within government and be a member of the Creative Industries Council. We will announce the appointment very soon.

Our priority has been that we take the time to get the role and appointment of the Freelance Champion right. As this is a new role, we have spent time working closely with the sector to develop the role’s remit, identify the priorities within that, and understand how the roleholder will engage with the sector once in post. We are working through the details and will be able to share more once the appointment has been announced.

On 20 July, the Prime Minister spoke to António Costa, President of the European Council, and agreed their respective teams would work closely towards a UK-EU Summit later in the year; the agenda has not yet been agreed.

This Government is committed to supporting the Creative Industries, including the crafts sector. Our UK-wide Creative Industries Sector Plan features international engagement as a core component, recognising the importance of exports, inward investment and global collaboration to the sector’s continued success.

The Government is also committed to supporting more UK crafts businesses to become export-ready, access new markets and benefit from trade agreements, although we are alive to the barriers many face. We are continuing to work across government to explore how we can better support the sector's needs, including improving awareness of existing mobility schemes; identifying where clearer export guidance may be helpful; and considering opportunities for future engagement with our EU counterparts on issues such as cultural exchange.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) remains committed to recovering the loan when the British Council's finances allow, consistent with the requirements of the UK's subsidy control regime. We continue to work closely with the British Council and His Majesty's Treasury on the long-term restructuring of the loan and will update Parliament formally in due course. I also refer the Noble Lord to the evidence provided to the Public Accounts Committee on 2 July 2026 by the interim Permanent Under-Secretary, where these issues were discussed in greater depth.

The UK is committed to supporting touring artists to work in Europe, as set out in the Government’s manifesto.

As the noble Lord will be aware, the summit has been postponed from July 22nd.

We will continue to discuss options with the EU for the Summit to take place at the next earliest opportunity.

There are currently no plans to mark this anniversary across the Government. Since 2001, consecutive governments have supported free access for all to the permanent collections of DCMS-sponsored national museums and galleries.

On the issue of the British Council's overseas presence, I refer the Noble Lord to the answer provided on 3 June in response to Question HL318, but in general, decisions on specific assets or property owned by the British Council are for them to take as they consider appropriate. On the wider issue of the British Council's financial position, I refer the Noble Lord to my statement to the House on 26 March (HLWS1489).

On the issue of the British Council's overseas presence, I refer the Noble Lord to the answer provided on 3 June in response to Question HL318, but in general, decisions on specific assets or property owned by the British Council are for them to take as they consider appropriate. On the wider issue of the British Council's financial position, I refer the Noble Lord to my statement to the House on 26 March (HLWS1489).

It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

I am sure all noble Lords will agree that our national museums are truly exceptional. I can confirm that we are not considering any changes to free entry for UK nationals and residents. In response to the independent review of the Arts Council by my noble friend Lady Hodge, DCMS is working with the museum sector to explore potential opportunities for charging international visitors at national museums and galleries. This is a highly complex issue that requires detailed work with the sector before any evidence-based decisions are taken.

Future EU programmes, such as AgoraEU, are still subject to internal EU procedures and are currently being negotiated between Member States and EU institutions.

We recognise the UK’s creative and cultural sectors provide a unique and valuable contribution to Europe’s rich culture. However, we will only join an EU programme where it is in the national interest and value for money for UK taxpayers to do so.

The UK’s network of recording studios are central to our position as the world’s third-largest recorded music market and second-biggest exporter of music, and they play a crucial role in ensuring the continuation of our talent pipeline. The creative industries, and music within that, are a priority growth sector in the government’s Industrial Strategy.

We have worked with industry to make revisions to the ONS's proposed SIC 2026 framework, and once in place, future economic estimates will be available for both music publishing and sound recording separately.

At the 2025 Budget, the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) announced updated property values that will take effect from 1 April 2026. This revaluation is the first since the pandemic, which has led to significant increases in rateable values (RVs) for some properties.  In recognition of the impact of the revaluation on business rates bills, the government announced a support package worth £4.3 billion to protect against ratepayers seeing large overnight increases in bills. Over half of ratepayers will see no bill increases, including 23% seeing their bills go down next year. This also means most properties seeing increases will see them capped at 15% or less next year, or £800 for the smallest.

Many recording studios are also likely to benefit from Small Business Rates Relief (SBRR). SBRR is available to businesses with a single property below a set RV. Eligible properties under £12,000 receive 100 per cent relief, which means around a third of properties in England pay no business rates at all. Tapered support is available to properties valued between £12,000 and £15,000. If a business expands to a second property, it will retain SBRR  on the first property for 3 years, up from 12 months previously.

The Government is investing £30m into a new Music Growth Package, launching in 2026, which will support music infrastructure, including recording studios, and ensure the UK music sector remains globally competitive. This enables the grassroots music sector, including recording studios, to apply for grants of up to £40,000 to develop new revenue streams and make repairs and improvements.

We are continuing to engage closely with industry stakeholders, including UK Music and the Music Producers Guild, to strengthen our understanding of the specific challenges the sector faces in relation to business rates, alongside the broader pressures on businesses arising from rising operating costs.

The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport and the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology wrote to all Peers on 18 March, outlining the Government's approach to the issue of AI and copyright. The report and impact assessment required under the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025 were published and laid before Parliament on the same date, fulfilling the statutory requirements. There are no plans to schedule a debate in the current parliamentary session.

The government acknowledges the economic significance of visual artists and is committed to providing support, including addressing infrastructure requirements. The £1.5 billion Arts Everywhere Fund incorporates the £245 million Creative Foundations Fund, which is dedicated to supporting arts and cultural venues, including galleries and artists' studios, in addressing critical capital needs.

Arts Council England (ACE) provides support for artist spaces through both direct funding and the facilitation of strategic partnerships. This includes significant investments, such as co-founding the Creative Land Trust, which ensures long-term, affordable space for artists and creatives in London by bringing together a number of key funding partners and networks. ACE has supported the organisation with £2 million since 2019, and their goal is to build a portfolio of more than 1,000 studios across London, offering spaces to creatives at affordable rates, equipping those that use them to have greater impact and benefit within communities.

Furthermore, ACE funds numerous workspaces that are part of its National Portfolio Organisation Investment Programme, such as The Auxiliary in Middlesbrough which has received funding of £542,898 since 2022.

The UK remains fully committed to the 1954 Hague Convention. We continue to monitor developments in Iran and the wider region and we work with partners across the UN system to reinforce compliance with international humanitarian law, including obligations relating to the safeguarding of cultural heritage.

As the report highlights, it is considerably harder for someone from a working-class background to access the arts and pursue an artistic career. This is clearly not acceptable. Our £1.5 billion Arts Everywhere

fund will prioritise areas previously undersupported, ensuring the arts should be for everyone, whatever their background. It is also why we are investing £132.5 million of dormant asset funding to increase disadvantaged young people’s access to enrichment and delivering a £9 million creative careers service, which will focus on tackling the greatest barriers facing young people.

The UK’s network of recording studios are central to our position as the world’s third-largest music market and play an important role in ensuring the continuation of our talent pipeline. The creative industries, and music within that, are a priority growth sector in the government’s Industrial Strategy.

Up to now, recording studios have been classified by a four-digit SIC code that combined sound recording with music publishing. While this broader group contributed £1.9 billion to the UK economy in 2024, we are not able to disaggregate the contribution of recording studios specifically. Given these long running data limitations, we have in the past commissioned bespoke research to better understand this part of the sector, including a Music Studio Market Assessment in 2021.

Since then, we’ve worked with industry trade bodies to improve the accuracy of industrial classifications, in particular to make the case for revisions to the ONS's proposed SIC 2026 framework. Several of the recommendations have been accepted and once in place, future economic estimates will be available for both music publishing and sound recording separately.