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

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effect of Brexit on the UK music industry.

We are committed to supporting and promoting a thriving live music industry and ensuring the continued growth of this vital and vibrant sector. The music industry is one of the UK's greatest success stories, producing an extraordinary level of talent recognised and respected the world over. The UK's decision to leave the EU will not change that. Neither will it diminish our outstanding creativity.

My department has held a series of roundtables with the creative sector on the impacts and opportunities affecting the creative industries as a result of the UK’s exit from the EU, including representatives from the music industry regarding touring musicians and crews and we continue to work closely with the sector at official level.

We understand that outward mobility of creative talent is key to the success of the creative industries, especially for sub-sectors like music where touring is the life-blood of the industry, and we recognise the importance of temporary movement of goods and equipment for touring musicians.

The phased introduction of the Facilitated Customs Arrangement (FCA) we have proposed in the White Paper on The Future Relationship between the United Kingdom and European Union would remove the need for customs checks and controls between the UK and the EU, as if they were a combined customs territory.

The UK has made significant progress in the separation negotiations, including on intellectual property. In particular, we have agreed that any EU trade mark or Community design that is registered or published before the end of the implementation period will continue to be protected in the UK by a comparable right.

The UK-level right will be granted automatically and without any charges or re-examination. We are currently engaging in discussions with the EU on the remaining issues, with the aim of moving swiftly on to the substantive discussions for our future relationship.

The UK has one of the best IP regimes in the world, and leaving the EU will not change that.

We will continue to deliver quality rights granting services, lead the world in enforcement and actively engage in international IP discussions.