John Nicolson: The hard-hit creative industries face not only the challenge of covid, but the looming threat of Brexit. The live music industry contributes more than £1 billion annually to the economy. EU nationals, are, of course, a vital part of this picture, with 750,000 music tourists visiting the UK. Barriers to travel—inevitable after Brexit—could lead to many of them going elsewhere in Europe....
John Nicolson: What discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on upholding the rule of law.
John Nicolson: Former Supreme Court Justice Lord Dyson described the Government’s toxic rhetoric on the legal profession as “irresponsible”, “dangerous” and “inflammatory,” and “the language of a demagogue.” The former Director of Public Prosecutions, Lord Macdonald, said the Government’s language is indecent and typifies “precisely this sort of ugly authoritarianism that the rule of...
John Nicolson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps she has taken to help end tariffs applied to Scotch Whisky exports to the US.
John Nicolson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent discussions he has had with (a) Cabinet colleagues and (b) the Scottish Government on the economic effect on businesses of the UK Internal Market Bill.
John Nicolson: That was simply not good enough from the Minister. The preamble to the constitution of UNESCO states: “since wars begin in the minds of men, it is in the minds of men that the defences of peace must be constructed”, and that is the guiding principle of so many cross-border cultural initiatives such as Creative Europe. The decision to end our participation in the programme not only erects...
John Nicolson: What recent progress has been made on the Independent Review of Administrative Law.
John Nicolson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what further steps he plans to take to help people affected by the Equitable Life scandal.
John Nicolson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with the DVLA on the (a) disruption caused to their services and (b) steps being taken to resume services following the covid-19 outbreak.
John Nicolson: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of the Advertising Association's proposals for an advertising tax credit for local radio stations and news publications.
John Nicolson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what representations she has made to the US Administration on tariffs on beer exports to the United States.
John Nicolson: Tory Ministers’ feigned shock at BBC job cuts and at old people being pursued for TV licence payments is nothing but humbug. Everyone knew that this would be the result of the last charter deal, cooked up by the Government and BBC director-general Tony Hall. The Government demanded that free TV licences for the over-75s—which should be a social provision—be funded by the BBC, and the...
John Nicolson: Well, well, well. Here we go again—another screeching handbrake turn. When we debated this in January, SNP Members warned the Government that Huawei could not be trusted with our 5G mobile network. Security experts were clear: we should not open up the central nervous system of our modern society to a company owned by the Chinese Communist party. With that characteristic combination of...
John Nicolson: I am concerned that the Government have gone completely silent on their 2025 roll-out target for gigabyte-capable broadband; instead, we are told that it will be delivered as soon as possible. It has been five months since the Secretary of State last pledged in the House the Government’s commitment to the Conservative manifesto promise. No statement has been made, and industry voices are...
John Nicolson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to tackle imports of real fur for commercial sale.
John Nicolson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will ban imports of real fur for commercial sale.
John Nicolson: All of us are conscious of how tough these months have been for our galleries, museums, cinemas, theatres and live music venues. For too long, the UK Government left our creative communities to languish in uncertainty and accumulating debt. I regret that this help comes too late for organisations that have already gone under. That said, I welcome the announcement of a £1.57 billion lifeline...
John Nicolson: What recent assessment she has made of the effectiveness of universal credit on reducing poverty.
John Nicolson: I would like to begin by saying that my party’s thoughts are with the victims of the terrible knife attack in Glasgow, and we want to thank the emergency services for their incredible bravery. According to the Select Committee on Work and Pensions, the DWP last published a full impact assessment of universal credit in 2012, and no formal impact assessment has ever been produced on advance...
John Nicolson: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether he plans to publish further details on how the Government will achieve its target Gigabit-capable connectivity for all by 2025; and if he will make a statement.