Dr. Lisa Cameron MP Asks The UK Government On The Future of Funding for Creative Training Programmes Post-Brexit.

The Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG)  for Textiles and Fashion, for which we are the secretariat, Dr. Lisa Cameron MP has raised the  parliamentary question (165612) of the future of the UK's involvement with European creative training programmes post -Brexit. Today she received this response from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. 

Question:

Dr. Lisa Cameron MP, Chair of this APPG For Textiles and Fashion tabled a Question on the continuance of UK interaction with vital creative funding programmes. Here is her Question and the Government response: “To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether the Government is planning to create alternative grass-roots funding programmes for creative SMEs if the UK does not participate in EU funded programmes after the UK leaves the EU.”
Tabled on: 18 July 2018.

Answer:

Margot James MP, Minister of State for the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport: 
“The creative industries contributed £91.8 billion to the economy in 2016, and the government recognises the important role of SMEs in this success. Under the Withdrawal Agreement, the UK will continue to benefit from EU programmes such as Creative Europe until the end of the current period (until 2020). The White Paper published on 12 July states that the Government is open to looking at continued participation in programmes, such as Creative Europe. As part of the Sector Deal published in March, government is also looking at securing the sector’s future prosperity and growth and will invest more than £150 million across the lifecycle of creative businesses.”

The answer was submitted on 23 Jul 2018 at 16:12.

With the UK Parliament beginning its summer recess this week, we see the voice of the APPG within Westminster as vital for ensuring the concerns and needs of our valuable fashion industry continue to be heard by the UK Government, as they head off for their holidays and constituencies.