Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if she will publish eligibility criteria for funding artists under the Music Export Growth Scheme; whether the political (a) beliefs and (b) activities of applicants are taken into consideration; and for what reason the band Kneecap has not been granted funding.

Applicants for the Music Export Growth Scheme (MEGS) must confirm they meet the minimum criteria. The British Phonographic Industry (BPI) acting as our delivery partner convenes an independent Selection Panel which then makes recommendations to the Department for Business and Trade on MEGS grant awards.

Subsequently, the BPI, the Department for Business and Trade, and the Department for Culture, Media and Sports (DCMS), as MEGS co-funder, all carry out due diligence on recommended grant recipients. Following this, the Secretary of State for Business and Trade makes the final grant decisions, in consultation with DCMS. "Kneecap" did not pass the due diligence process. A Pre-Action Protocol letter has been received and no further comment will be made at this time.