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

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to help music centres to recruit young musicians from Europe for training in the UK.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport works closely with Arts Council England and others across the sector to understand the opportunities and challenges facing both inbound and outbound touring musicians. The Government is committed to supporting touring artists and the wider music industry to adapt to new arrangements following our departure from the EU. We have worked with the sector and directly with Member States to clarify what creative workers need to do, noting that the vast majority of EU Member States — including the biggest touring markets such as Spain, France, Germany and the Netherlands — have confirmed that they offer visa- and work permit-free routes for some short-term touring activities. The Government has also launched an Export Support Service through which UK businesses, including touring professionals, can access advice and guidance.

Arts Council England supports the 4 Nations International Fund, which assists those working in the arts and creative industries across the UK, together with their counterparts in Europe and beyond. Bilateral programmes, such as Cultural Bridge, which helps arts practitioners from the UK and Germany work together, as well as partnerships with the Arts Councils of Norway and Denmark on the International Touring and Environmental Fund, provide further assistance to musicians and music organisations.

Arts Council England supports a range of other international activity, including through the Developing Your Creative Practice Programme, the National Lottery Project Grants, and through National Portfolio Organisations — such as the National Centre for Early Music, Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival, Serious/London Jazz Festival, and Wigmore Hall — all of which enable mobility and exchange for young artists across Europe.