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

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps he is taking to monitor the number of closures of live music venues in the UK.

The live music industry is a vital part of the UK’s music ecosystem, contributing £1bn to the economy in 2016 and it must be allowed to continue to thrive.

We have reformed entertainment licensing and last year announced that the Agent of Change principle will now be included in the National Planning Policy Framework, helping to protect music venues when new housing is built. We will continue working with industry and Whitehall colleagues on a range of issues affecting the live music industry.