Speeches by Hinds.

“Can any of you summarise what the difference is pre and post leaving the European Union in terms of the volume of paperwork? Bear in mind, of course, that we were never a member of Schengen. Some of these things may not be entirely obvious, but is anyone in a position to say?”

“How does it work in reverse? What is the difference in the regime for European-domiciled performers coming to the UK?”

“Working here?”

“Final question from me: where do artists look for guidance on this system? I am sure they look to your organisation among others, but is it also a question of Governments and wider arts organisations? How, if at all, is it different for artists in Britain and in other countries?”

“You mentioned Dublin. How does the common travel area play into all this?”

“Was it a voluntary response?”

“So it was not a sample. You would have to agree that that probably exaggerates the effect because, when you ask a question and it is a voluntary response, you will always hear from the people who feel most strongly about an issue rather than a representative sample. It would be helpful to get those actual numbers. Do a…”

“To set the scene, Euan, could you just say what all the different visa and social security requirements are and the different levels of paperwork?”

“The common travel area is with the island of Ireland. For many different purposes such as trade, the movement of people, and various health and social aspects—lots of different ways—there are exceptions to many rules for the Republic of Ireland. I just wondered, for your band that is choosing Dublin, if it is easier to…”

“Final question from me: where do artists look for guidance on this system? I am sure they look to your organisation among others, but is it also a question of Governments and wider arts organisations? How, if at all, is it different for artists in Britain and in other countries?”

“It would be super helpful if we could quantify this. You have all said that there is less work and it may be because people are being blocked in the first place. It might be because of complexity of paperwork. Is there any way of quantifying the days, hours, cash takings, numbers of tours, or performances of British ar…”

“I am sure we have the ONS data, but it would be helpful to perhaps follow up on that. You mentioned that Equity had done a survey and half of its members said they had lost work. How did you conduct that survey?”

“I am not making a political point. I think it is right and reasonable to give employees visibility, and all good employers who want to keep their employees will of course do the right thing and try to do so. The Employment Rights Act, however, does an awful lot more than just let people know some time in advance about …”

“There are many ways that we can express it, but none of them are good: youth unemployment is at 15.9%; it is up 10%; it is up 1.5 percentage points; it is up over 100,000 in the last year; it is at a 10-year high—higher than in the covid era. Let us be clear: this is not economic inactivity we are talking about; it is …”

“Will the Minister give way?”

“Would the Minister apply that principle to bank staff working in the national health service who have what is in fact a zero-hours contract—a bank staff contract—to top up in other roles in the NHS when that support is needed?”

“Is that for this financial year?”

“It was about the Minister’s projection for the Connect to Work numbers by the end of this financial year, its first year in operation.”

“It is a great pleasure to see you presiding over these proceedings today, Ms McVey. I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Mid Leicestershire (Mr Bedford) on securing this important debate; it is good to have an opportunity to discuss these issues openly. It is also a great pleasure to follow the hon. Member for …”

“In a similar vein to the hon. Member for Winchester (Dr Chambers), it is important that families know where to access these voluntary sector services. The East Hampshire dementia services directory is a great initiative, as are voluntary groups such as Dementia Friendly Petersfield and Dementia-friendly Alton. The Alto…”