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

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the ability of artists who reside in the EU to tour the UK in the event of the UK leaving the EU without a deal.

The Creative Industries are one of the UK’s greatest success stories. With the UK coming top of Portland’s Soft Power Index in 2018, we are recognised as a world leader for the creative industries and an exciting cultural destination for artists.

In terms of the UK’s exit from the EU, the Government firmly believes it is in the interests of both the EU and the UK to strike a deal. That remains the goal on both sides and we are confident that this will be achieved. But it is the job of a responsible Government to prepare for all scenarios, including the unlikely event that we reach March 2019 without agreeing a deal.

We recognise the importance of temporary movement of goods and equipment for touring musicians. Although subject to negotiation, the phased introduction of the Facilitated Customs Arrangement (FCA) put forward in the White Paper on The Future Relationship between the United Kingdom and European Union is a business-friendly model that would remove the need for customs checks and controls between the UK and the EU as if they were a combined customs territory.

We know that touring is the lifeblood of the creative industries and we will always welcome artists coming to the UK to perform; the UK’s decision to leave the EU will not change that - whether or not we leave with a deal.