Contributions
785 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDArts Council England: FundingJust honourable.18 Jan 2023HANSARDArts Council England: FundingI am sorry to say that is true. I do not object, in truth, to the idea that we should spend more arts funding across the rest of the country. I am not an opponent of levelling up…18 Jan 2023HANSARDArts Council England: FundingThat neatly brings me to the next point, which is perhaps the most important. We have mentioned that the funding cut to the ENO would have been a woeful and destructive action. It…18 Jan 2023HANSARDArts Council England: FundingThat is a good message for the Minister to take away. The ENO is in the forefront of making art accessible to people who do not have a traditional background in opera, which I did…18 Jan 2023HANSARDArts Council England: FundingWe all appreciate that there has been progress, and that is welcome, but I hope the Minister will accept that this is not a complete answer. I urge him, when he speaks to the Arts…18 Jan 2023HANSARDArts Council England: FundingI will give way to my right hon. and learned Friend because I know he wants to say something positive about English National Opera.18 Jan 2023HANSARDArts Council England: FundingIt is certainly right that the arts offer real economic opportunity for many young people, and some of those smaller organisations are the breeding ground from which people come.…18 Jan 2023HANSARDArts Council England: FundingThe hon. Gentleman’s point encapsulates why I think the former Secretary of State was right to say what she said: the decision absolutely negates the Government’s own policy. As…18 Jan 2023HANSARDArts Council England: FundingMy right hon. Friend makes a fair and valid point. When this matter has been debated in the past, Ministers have argued that this is an arm’s length body over which they have…18 Jan 2023HANSARDRetained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) BillWe all accept that the status of EU law must change and that it will have to be reassimilated into domestic law in due course. No one argues with that. Will the Minister not…18 Jan 2023HANSARDArts Council England: FundingIt sounds as if Arts Council England has fallen into bureaucratic speak. What would that mean to any normal person or sensible institution? It defeats me. There is a complete lack…18 Jan 2023HANSARDArts Council England: FundingIt may demonstrate the lack of thought in the Arts Council England process. It apparently wanted English National Opera, although no longer based in London, to still run the…18 Jan 2023HANSARDArts Council England: FundingI beg to move, That this House has considered the funding decisions of Arts Council England. It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Bone, and I am very grateful for…18 Jan 2023HANSARDBacklog of Criminal Court CasesEvery Crown court centre in the country is affected by backlogs, which are rising to crisis proportions once more. The Government rightly resolved the issue of the availability of…10 Jan 2023HANSARDIllegal ImmigrationI congratulate the Prime Minister on targeted and practical measures. Does he agree that what he proposes is entirely consistent with our international obligations and, in…13 Dec 2022HANSARDCriminal Justice Backlog: CPS EffectivenessMay I, both personally and on behalf of the Committee, warmly welcome the Attorney General to her place? Everyone who saw her sworn in will know how positive the reaction of Bar…07 Dec 2022HANSARD Performing Arts: English National OperaThe hon. Gentleman is right. What I found extraordinary was the Arts Council’s suggestion that there was no growth in the audience for opera—or for “grand opera”, as it was…05 Dec 2022HANSARD Performing Arts: English National OperaI will conclude by asking the Minister what more he needs to hear. When I was a barrister, I would occasionally say to my clients, “The evidence is overwhelming.” He should go…05 Dec 2022HANSARD Performing Arts: English National OperaI entirely agree with the Father of the House.05 Dec 2022HANSARD Performing Arts: English National OperaI am massively grateful to my hon. Friend.05 Dec 2022