Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what representations she has made to her Spanish counterpart on allowing (a) visa and (b) permit free touring for British musicians.

The UK Government continues to engage with EU Member States, including Spain, that do not offer any visa or work permit free routes for touring professionals to encourage them to follow to the UK's more generous approach. We have raised this issue with the Spanish government at ministerial level on several occasions, including when I visited Spain on 30 September. The Government recognises the importance of the UK's creative and cultural industries, and is working to ensure that we support these industries to resume touring with confidence as we build back from the pandemic.