Member

As drafted, the Bill standardises devolved competences in seven areas yet makes no reference to culture, creativity or heritage. Having represented Liverpool—the European Capital of Culture in 2008—and Manchester in the European Parliament, I ask my noble friend the Minister to consider adding culture, creative industries and heritage as defined areas of competence in Clause 2. The cultural industries were recognised in Merseyside and Greater Manchester in their European funding frameworks for the first time ever as major economic drivers for growth in the 1990s. This was the first time that the cultural industries were recognised as economic and social drivers for growth in any regional funding programme in Europe. It happened first in England.