Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the UK leaving the EU on touring musicians.

We fully recognise the scale of challenges facing professionals wishing to tour in Europe. Many have concluded it is simply not economically viable or logistically possible to tour in Europe. That denies European audiences the opportunity to hear British artists and it denies artists a chance to build their career. That is why we have pledged to do everything we can to help our touring artists.

We are already working collaboratively with the live music sector to address these key issues for our brilliant musicians, artists and their support staff and are engaging with the EU and EU Member States, with a view to improving arrangements for touring across the European continent without seeing a return to free movement. This is a priority for the whole ministerial team, the department and the government.