Lords question Ministers on trade and tourism
9 December 2013
The House of Lords Committee on Soft Power and the UK’s influence will next week question Ministers Maria Miller MP and Michael Fallon MP as they explore how the UK government uses soft power to increase its influence overseas
Both Ministers are likely to face questioning about how the Government should respond to the recent claim by the Chinese government-supported Global Times which this week said that the UK is ‘no longer any kind of big country’ and is only ‘suitable for tourism and overseas study’.
Witnesses
Monday 9 December, Committee Room 1, Palace of Westminster
At 4pm
- The Rt Hon Maria Miller MP, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS)
- The Rt Hon Michael Fallon MP, Minister for Business and Enterprise, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS)
The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport will be asked about the role culture and sport play in developing the UK’s reputation overseas, and whether the Government risk placing too much emphasis on sport due to the popularity of brands such as the Premier League. The Committee may also ask if the UK is losing out to China, France and Germany who are spending significant amounts of money on establishing cultural institutions and programmes abroad.
Minister Michael Fallon is likely to face questioning about the balance between the Government’s support for human rights and its promotion of UK businesses that operate overseas, concerns that the Government’s tough restrictions on visas for non-EU nationals to visit and work in the UK is damaging our reputation abroad, and how well BIS coordinates its work with UK Trade and Investment (UKTI).