Asked by: Baroness Lister of Burtersett (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Barran on 7 June (HL511), whether they will state on which dates the Creative Industries Council has held quarterly meetings since 6 July 2020; whether they intend to publish the minutes of such meetings; and if so, when.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The Creative Industries Council has met twice since 6th July 2020: on 27 October 2020 and 24 February 2021. Minutes for these meetings are being finalised for publication on the Gov.uk website shortly.
Asked by: Baroness Lister of Burtersett (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to regularly engage with representatives of the creative workforce to discuss the best route to recovery for the creative sector.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Throughout the pandemic, DCMS ministers and officials have been regularly engaging with stakeholders representing the workforce across the creative industries to ensure their concerns are understood.
Regular forums for engagement include quarterly meetings with the Creative Industries Council, which includes representatives from across the creative sector and is co-chaired by the Secretaries of State for DCMS and Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. At the outset of the Covid pandemic, the Council developed a plan on transition and recovery that has been useful for helping shape our policy response. We are now looking to the future, and continue to work with the Council to consider further recovery and growth opportunities for the sector.
DCMS officials are also in regular contact with other stakeholders including ScreenSkills, Arts Council England, the Creative Industries Federation and the Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre.
Asked by: Baroness Lister of Burtersett (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the report by the All Party Parliamentary Writers Group Supporting Writers through the COVID-19 Crisis, published on 11 May, what plans they have to engage with writers’ organisations to discuss the recommendations relating to maintaining diversity of talent in the creative industries following the COVID-19 pandemic.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Literature contributes greatly to the richness and diversity of our cultural environment, and we welcome the report by the All Party Parliamentary Writers Group.
The government is clear that it expects the cultural sectors to represent our diverse society in their artistic talent, workforce and audiences. As the national development agency for art and culture, Arts Council England (ACE) has a responsibility to ensure that public money benefits all of the public.
ACE supports a network of Writer Development Agents, which between them cover every one of the five regions in which ACE operates, all of which have an explicit remit to support writers that represent the diversity of our country. ACE has also focused additional funding on organisations whose work promotes diversity, most prominently via an Ambition for Excellence award to The Good Literary Agency, based in Bristol, which develops and then markets authors from Black and minority ethnic backgrounds, and via our support of a pair of reports (by BookTrust and the Centre for Literacy in Primary Education) into the diversity and inclusivity of the children’s literature sector.
We hope that this ongoing support and engagement will help to nurture the next generation of writers to build on the success of today’s sector.
Asked by: Baroness Lister of Burtersett (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the Charity Finance Group’s proposal to allow charities to furlough staff and enable them to volunteer at their own organisation, to help charities to mobilise during the winter period.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The Government remains committed to supporting charitable organisations and enterprises across the country. In March, the Government announced the unprecedented Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS), designed to help employers to keep millions of people in employment. The CJRS was set to close on 31 October 2020 but, in light of the path of the virus, the CJRS has now been extended until the end of March 2021.
A furloughed employee can volunteer for another employer or organisation subject to public health guidance and agreement from their employer. However, employees are not permitted to volunteer for their own employer or an organisation linked or associated to their employer where the volunteering either makes money for, or provides services to, their employer or such an organisation. This is to prevent fraudulent claims and to protect individuals. If the Government allowed workers to volunteer for their employer or a linked organisation, the employer could ask them to effectively work full-time whilst only paying them 80% of their wages.
As part of the Government’s ongoing commitment to supporting charitable organisations and social enterprises, the Spending Review confirmed a £750m support package for charities supporting vulnerable people during the COVID-19 crisis. The Government also matched public donations to the BBC’s “Big Night In” charity appeal, with over £37 million being distributed by Comic Relief, Children In Need and the National Emergencies Trust to charities on the frontline.
Asked by: Baroness Lister of Burtersett (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the independent review into full-time social action will consider evidence from the UK, France, and Germany regarding how their respective governments support full-time volunteers.
Answered by Lord Ashton of Hyde
The review will gather a variety of evidence on the status of full-time volunteers, including international comparisons where relevant.
Asked by: Baroness Lister of Burtersett (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they will announce the Chairman and panellists for the independent review into full-time social action.
Answered by Lord Ashton of Hyde
The Government will announce the Chair of the independent expert advisory panel in due course. The Chair will then select other panellists.