Question reference: S5W-26843
- Asked by: Sandra White, MSP for Glasgow Kelvin, Scottish National Party
- Date lodged: 6 January 2020
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Current status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 14 January 2020
Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether the organiser of the Celtic Connections festival has sought advice or support from it regarding any difficulties faced by foreign artists coming to Scotland since the EU membership referendum.
Answer
The Scottish Government supports cultural organisations facing difficulties around EU exit, and supports non-UK artists coming to Scotland to participate in our international festivals. The Scottish Government has longstanding concerns with the UK Government’s immigration system – particularly around the operation of the rules that govern the entry of visitors – and has regularly raised concerns with the UK Government around the challenges for international artists and performers coming to participate in festivals.
The Scottish Government will be hosting an International Festivals Visa Summit in early 2020 to explore the problems faced by festivals and their participants in Scotland and the rest of the UK in relation to the UK visa and immigration system, and what impacts exiting the EU could have on this. It will bring together a wide range of festivals and other cultural stakeholders, as well as representatives from Governments across the UK, find practical solutions to these difficulties. The organisers of Celtic Connections have been invited to participate in the summit.