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

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the importance of music education to creative industries in the UK.

In 2016, the creative industries employed 2 million people and made up 5% of the UK’s total GVA. Securing a strong and diverse intake of skills and talent is key to the sector's continued success and that is why Government is committed to ensuring children enjoy a broad curriculum, including music. Recognising the importance of music, the Government is spending £300m between 2016-20 on music education hubs alongside a range of other arts and cultural educational programmes. In January 2019, DfE announced an additional £1.33 million funding for music education hubs and that an independent panel would be working with Government to create a model music curriculum.

Sir Peter Bazalgette's 2017 independent review of the creative industries concluded that social and informational barriers to entry are inhibiting the growth and greater productivity of the sector. That is why government is investing £2m seed funding for the industry-led Creative Careers Programme, aimed at raising awareness of employment opportunities and developing entry routes into the creative industries, including the music sector.