My Lords—

My Lords—

My Lords, I have the greatest respect for my noble friend the Minister, so I regret supporting this amendment but I feel that I should do so. First, I declare an interest. I am a director of, and a shareholder in, Waddington Galleries, which deals in modern and contemporary art. Because of this interest, anything that...

My Lords, I have the greatest respect for my noble friend the Minister, so I regret supporting this amendment but I feel that I should do so. First, I declare an interest. I am a director of, and a shareholder in, Waddington Galleries, which deals in modern and contemporary art. Because of this interest, anything that...

My Lords—

My Lords—

My Lords, I am not sure what interests I should declare. My wife and I are occasional purchasers of works of art. I have a son who is an art dealer and a daughter-in-law who is a well known artist. I was astonished to listen to the opening speech by the Minister. I am even more...

My Lords, I am not sure what interests I should declare. My wife and I are occasional purchasers of works of art. I have a son who is an art dealer and a daughter-in-law who is a well known artist. I was astonished to listen to the opening speech by the Minister. I am even more...

My Lords, this is a perfectly dreadful set of regulations and I very much welcome the attempt by the noble Lord, Lord Brooke, to make them slightly less bad. I have absolutely no interests to declare, although my late father-in-law was quite a well-known artist; had he not died tragically young, I somehow doubt...

My Lords, this is a perfectly dreadful set of regulations and I very much welcome the attempt by the noble Lord, Lord Brooke, to make them slightly less bad. I have absolutely no interests to declare, although my late father-in-law was quite a well-known artist; had he not died tragically young, I somehow doubt...

rose to move, as an amendment to the above Motion, at end to insert ““but this House regrets that the regulations go beyond the requirements of the European Union directive implementing the regime for the payment of artists and calls for the regulations to be replaced within six months by...

rose to move, as an amendment to the above Motion, at end to insert ““but this House regrets that the regulations go beyond the requirements of the European Union directive implementing the regime for the payment of artists and calls for the regulations to be replaced within six months by...

My Lords, when the Minister started his speech and talked about concessions, I thought he was going to come clean with the House and explain the massive concessions he has made in agreeing to this regulation and this directive. But the truth is that this is yet another massive cave-in to...

My Lords, when the Minister started his speech and talked about concessions, I thought he was going to come clean with the House and explain the massive concessions he has made in agreeing to this regulation and this directive. But the truth is that this is yet another massive cave-in to...

My Lords, I congratulate my noble friend Lord Brooke of Sutton Mandeville on securing this debate on an issue of such crucial importance to the art market. I join with my noble friend Lord Jopling in remarking on the brilliance of his speech. This droit de suite directive has been described to...

My Lords, I congratulate my noble friend Lord Brooke of Sutton Mandeville on securing this debate on an issue of such crucial importance to the art market. I join with my noble friend Lord Jopling in remarking on the brilliance of his speech. This droit de suite directive has been described to...

My Lords, I shall be brief and, in contrast to other speakers, support the Government. The information that surprised and shocked me most was that 40 per cent of British artists earn less than £5,000 per annum. If we want flourishing art in our country, where we have, and encourage, creativity, we must look...

My Lords, I shall be brief and, in contrast to other speakers, support the Government. The information that surprised and shocked me most was that 40 per cent of British artists earn less than £5,000 per annum. If we want flourishing art in our country, where we have, and encourage, creativity, we must look...

My Lords, I do not think that we have a total figure, but it obviously depends on what the spread of the figures is. Everyone can do their own calculation on this. There is a tariff and you can apply that to any figure within it. That will give you the...

My Lords, I do not think that we have a total figure, but it obviously depends on what the spread of the figures is. Everyone can do their own calculation on this. There is a tariff and you can apply that to any figure within it. That will give you the...

My Lords, I thank everyone who has spoken in this good debate. I shall do my best to conclude by 10 o’clock. Three departments look after the art market—the DTI, the Treasury and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, to whose Select Committee inquiry the Minister gave his famous original answer. This is...

My Lords, I thank everyone who has spoken in this good debate. I shall do my best to conclude by 10 o’clock. Three departments look after the art market—the DTI, the Treasury and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, to whose Select Committee inquiry the Minister gave his famous original answer. This is...

My Lords, I still cannot see that the provision in this context prejudices that; that is the legal view that has been taken. I agree very much with the noble Lord, Lord Freyberg, in what I thought was a rather objective assessment of the regulations. So far as other European competitors are concerned, it...

My Lords, I still cannot see that the provision in this context prejudices that; that is the legal view that has been taken. I agree very much with the noble Lord, Lord Freyberg, in what I thought was a rather objective assessment of the regulations. So far as other European competitors are concerned, it...

My Lords, can the noble Lord enlighten me before he leaves that point? The decision to go for €1,000 rather than €3,000 will produce some extra revenue for the artists concerned. What is the Government’s estimate of the annual revenue per artist who will fall into that category—the additional money that they...

My Lords, can the noble Lord enlighten me before he leaves that point? The decision to go for €1,000 rather than €3,000 will produce some extra revenue for the artists concerned. What is the Government’s estimate of the annual revenue per artist who will fall into that category—the additional money that they...

My Lords, on that basis, obviously the fact that a sum of money is deducted for buyer’s premium could be said to be derogatory to the property rights as well.

My Lords, on that basis, obviously the fact that a sum of money is deducted for buyer’s premium could be said to be derogatory to the property rights as well.

My Lords, with all due respect to the Minister, that is not correct, because the buyer’s premium is deducted as the result of a contract. This is deducted as the result of a piece of legislation.

My Lords, with all due respect to the Minister, that is not correct, because the buyer’s premium is deducted as the result of a contract. This is deducted as the result of a piece of legislation.

No, my Lords. I was saying very clearly that I still think it is closer to £1. I did not say that it was £1; I said that it is in that order of magnitude. I have not just been saying that it is £28. I said that even if you think that it is £28,...

No, my Lords. I was saying very clearly that I still think it is closer to £1. I did not say that it was £1; I said that it is in that order of magnitude. I have not just been saying that it is £28. I said that even if you think that it is £28,...

My Lords, surely what has happened here is that, as the law stands, the owner of a work of art owns the entitlement to the entire proceeds of sale of the item in question. After the legislation comes into effect, he will own only an entitlement to part of the...

My Lords, surely what has happened here is that, as the law stands, the owner of a work of art owns the entitlement to the entire proceeds of sale of the item in question. After the legislation comes into effect, he will own only an entitlement to part of the...

My Lords, I thank the Minister for his introduction of the regulations and the noble Lord, Lord Brooke, for giving us the opportunity to debate these regulations so vigorously. I and my honourable friends in another place have considered very carefully the various reports, including that of a Select Committee of the other place,...

My Lords, I thank the Minister for his introduction of the regulations and the noble Lord, Lord Brooke, for giving us the opportunity to debate these regulations so vigorously. I and my honourable friends in another place have considered very carefully the various reports, including that of a Select Committee of the other place,...

My Lords, the Arts Council thinks that there are 96,000 artists. In a submission to parliamentarians, DACS suggested that there might be 130,000. We are talking about a figure of less than 1,000. How does the Liberal Democrat Party make that 50 per cent?

My Lords, the Arts Council thinks that there are 96,000 artists. In a submission to parliamentarians, DACS suggested that there might be 130,000. We are talking about a figure of less than 1,000. How does the Liberal Democrat Party make that 50 per cent?

My Lords, that is the evidence that has been put forward by a number of bodies, and it is what we rely on. That, surely, must be the right way forward. It is clear that the Government have changed their mind in terms of where the threshold should lie, but...

My Lords, that is the evidence that has been put forward by a number of bodies, and it is what we rely on. That, surely, must be the right way forward. It is clear that the Government have changed their mind in terms of where the threshold should lie, but...