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

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to support the grime music scene in urban centres across England.

The Government is committed to supporting our world leading music sector, including at a grassroots level across the country. Grime music projects have been successful in applying for the Arts Council England’s (ACE’s) Supporting Grassroots Music Fund, to which the government last year committed an additional £5 million, taking our total investment through the Fund to almost £15 million. The Fund enables grassroots music organisations including venues, rehearsal and recording studios, festivals and promoters from all music genres to increase support for young, emerging and more diverse artists, improve equipment and physical infrastructure, and support them to be more financially resilient.

The Government also supports our world leading music industry through a range of export support programmes, including the Music Export Growth Scheme (MEGS) co-funded by DCMS and DBT. MEGS has supported over 300 musical acts from a range of genres and backgrounds, including grime artists, to grow their international profile and exports in global markets. As part of the Creative Industries Sector Vision we announced that funding for MEGS will be tripled to £3.2 million over the next two years, helping to support more artists than ever before.

DCMS works closely with ACE to develop and invest in artistic and cultural experiences to enrich people's lives. ACE offers a range of grants and support offers, such as Developing Your Creative Practice and Project Grants, which are open to applicants from any music genre or background. DCMS officials continue to engage with a diverse range of stakeholders from across the music industry to better understand issues and concerns and to identify opportunities to support.