Source · Select Committees · Culture, Media and Sport Committee
Recommendation 41
41
Accepted in Part
Appoint a Freelancers’ Commissioner to develop framework addressing industry pay and working conditions.
Conclusion
We repeat our predecessor Committee’s call for the Government to appoint a Freelancers’ Commissioner, with appropriate powers and cross- departmental oversight. The Freelancers’ Commissioner should work with the film and HETV industry to develop a framework for addressing pay precarity, hours, working conditions and behaviours that is published within 12 months of their appointment. (Recommendation, Paragraph 142)
Government Response Summary
The government will appoint a creative freelance champion by 2025 to advocate for the sector, but states this is different from the recommended Freelancers' Commissioner role which would require more infrastructure and time to implement.
Government Response
Accepted in Part
HM Government
Accepted in Part
The government is committed to strengthening rights and protections to deliver good quality self-employment. DCMS will appoint a creative freelance champion to advocate for the sector’s freelancers within government. This is different to a commissioner role which requires establishing infrastructure and would take longer to implement. We will work closely with industry to develop this role, with a champion appointed in 2025. More widely, we have already announced a package of measures to tackle late payments for small businesses and the self-employed, including a new Fair Payment Code, and are committed to introducing the right to a written contract, extension of health and safety and blacklisting protections for the self-employed. The government has no plans to introduce a guaranteed basic income for creative freelancers, or minimum hourly wage over and above the national minimum wage. The government will continue to support industry to deliver the Good Work Review Action Plan to strengthen job quality across the sector, which includes support for the self-employed. The BFI has invested £1.5 million of National Lottery funding in WorkWise for Screen20 – providing industry with free-to-access resources and guidance to aid improved working practices such as contracting compliance, employment law and HR best practice. The BFI is also commissioning independent research which seeks to help productions find the ‘sweet spot’ between improving employment practices and worker retention whilst maintaining financial viability.