LONDON, June 22, 2015 /PRNewswire/ --
The All Party Writers Group (APWG) is pleased to announce that Pete Wishart MP has been elected as the new Chair of the Group.
Wishart replaces John Whittingdale MP as Chair now that John has been promoted to Secretary of State for Culture, Media & Sport.
Wishart has a long history supporting the creative industries, not least because he was, for 15 years, a member of the Celtic rock band Runring. A passionate supporter of creators' rights, he says: "I am delighted to have been elected as Chair of the All Party Writers Group. Immediate priorities are to ensure writers are fairly paid for their work. This means we should be focusing on ensuring fair contracts for writers and ensuring the debate being held by the European Commission in Brussels on copyright doesn't create an environment through future legislation that disadvantages writers."
The All Party Writers Group was established to protect and promote authors' rights. It consists of cross party members who meet regularly to discuss issues pertaining to writers and who encourage Government to consider the plight of the writers when considering any changes in legislation. It has tackled a number of difficult issues in Parliament in the past, most recently successfully pushing for the implementation of the extension of Public Lending Rights to audiobooks as enshrined in the Digital Economy Act 2010. This was finally put into practice in 2014.
To support Pete Wishart in his role, Lord Tim Clement-Jones and renowned writer Lord Michael Dobbs will act as co-Vice Chairs. Jim Dowd MP has taken over the role of Secretary from the late Baroness Ruth Rendell.
The All Party Writers Group will be holding its Summer Reception on 7 July on the Terrace at the House of Commons where former Group Chair, John Whittingdale, will be guest speaker.
Notes for Editors
About All Party Groups
All Party Groups provide an opportunity for Members of Parliament to help keep the Government and Opposition informed of opinion both inside and outside Parliament on policy issues.
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