Asked by: Dan Jarvis (Labour - Barnsley North)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps he is taking to make an assessment of the effect of access restrictions at the National Archives on (a) historians and (b) the general public.
Answered by John Whittingdale
In line with Government guidance at the time, The National Archives was closed to the Public during the early stages of the COVID outbreak. I receive regular updates from The National Archives on the implementation of its reopening strategy, and current work to make its services safe for the public.
In order to be Covid-secure in line with scientific evidence, The National Archives has been forced to reduce the number of visitors to around 15% of usual capacity to allow for social distancing, and is implementing a 72-hour quarantine of accessed records. This inevitably impacts upon The National Archives’ ability to deliver its services as it ordinarily would. As well as this in-person service, The National Archives has continued free access to digital records through its Digital Downloads service, which has supported the download of over 1 million records by around 80,000 users since April 2020.
The measures which are currently in place are subject to weekly review and The National Archives are also undertaking surveys of users to take feedback on its provision, the results of which are shared with myself.
I appreciate that this reduced provision will have a particular impact on intensive users such as historians as well as the general public, but I and the Archives are cognizant of the need to balance the desire for greater access to public records with the need to ensure the continuing safety of The National Archives’ audiences. With this consideration in mind, I will continue to monitor the situation in collaboration with The National Archives.
Asked by: Dan Jarvis (Labour - Barnsley North)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department is taking to financially support (a) the events and exhibitions industry and (b) other sectors that are unable to open as a result of covid-19 lockdown restrictions.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
We are aware that the events and exhibition industry, as well as other sectors, have been severely impacted by Government measures to control the spread of Covid-19.
Businesses can continue to access the Government’s UK wide support package. This includes the Bounce Back Loans scheme, the Self-Employed Income Support Scheme and the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme.
As the Chancellor announced on 24 September, we are also offering affected businesses generous terms for the repayment of deferred taxes and government-backed loans, as well as extending the application window of the government-backed loan schemes.
We continue to engage with stakeholders, including through the Visitor Economy Working Group and the Events Industry Senior Leaders Advisory Panel, to monitor the situation facing companies across the UK.
Asked by: Dan Jarvis (Labour - Barnsley North)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps he is taking to provide financial support to English Football League football clubs through the 2020-21 season.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
Ministers have spoken to all of the major spectator sports, including football, to see what they need, and have asked for detailed financial returns so the Government can understand what support they might need.
We have worked closely with football throughout the pandemic including getting the Premier League and English Football League back behind closed doors but we have been clear that we expect the game - where it can at the top tiers - to support itself. The Government will then focus our support on those in the sector most in need as a result of the October 1 decision.
Asked by: Dan Jarvis (Labour - Barnsley North)
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 financial effect of the covid-19 outbreak on English Football League football clubs.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
Ministers have spoken to all of the major spectator sports, including football, to see what they need, and have asked for detailed financial returns so the Government can understand what support they might need.
We have worked closely with football throughout the pandemic including getting the Premier League and English Football League back behind closed doors but we have been clear that we expect the game - where it can at the top tiers - to support itself. The Government will then focus our support on those in the sector most in need as a result of the October 1 decision.
Asked by: Dan Jarvis (Labour - Barnsley North)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what additional support his Department is providing to independent cinemas applying for the British Film Institute managed grant.
Answered by Caroline Dinenage
My officials are working closely with the British Film Institute (BFI) to ensure that appropriate support is in place for those independent cinema owners applying to the Culture Recovery Fund. We recognise that some independent cinema owners will not have had much experience applying for Government funding and as a result we have agreed with the BFI a range of measures to support their applications.
This includes detailed guidance notes, a robust supporting Q&A document, dedicated contact points to answer questions, and proactive engagement from the BFI’s Film Audience Network and its regional English Film Hubs to actively promote the Fund and support applicants through the required process. DCMS and the BFI have also been promoting the Fund through press and comms channels and encouraging potential applicants to apply. It is also positive that the industry has provided further support, with the UK Cinema Association setting up a series of meetings for their members to better understand the application process.
The Culture Recovery Fund is intended to support the nation’s most important national, regional, and local organisations and funding will not be available for every organisation. As such it is critical that we scrutinise applications against rigorous criteria and continue to act to support applications from all eligible cinemas.
Asked by: Dan Jarvis (Labour - Barnsley North)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department is taking to financially support bowling alleys during the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
Bowling alleys have been permitted to reopen in line with Covid-19 Secure guidelines since 15th August, except in specific areas where local restrictions are in place.
Bowling alleys are able to benefit from the reduced rate of VAT which the Government has applied to attractions, accommodation and hospitality from 15 July 2020-12 January 2021. To support businesses - including bowling alleys - through Covid-19, the Government has also introduced a comprehensive support package, including business rates relief for eligible leisure businesses and the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme.
We have supported bowling alleys by working closely with stakeholders to develop further Covid-19 Secure reopening guidance for venues. Specific guidance on bowling alleys has been published within UKHospitality’s ‘COVID-19 Secure Guidelines for Hospitality Businesses.’ We continue to meet regularly with the wider sector through the Cultural Renewal Taskforce’s Sport and Visitor Economy working groups.
Asked by: Dan Jarvis (Labour - Barnsley North)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, which Destination Management Organisations (DMOs) (a) applied for funding through the DMO Resilience Fund and (b) were successful in their application.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
The Destination Management Organisation (DMO) Resilience Fund awarded a total of £1.33m to eligible DMOs in England.
The fund has supported 56 DMOs. A further 23 applications were made which were unsuccessful as they did not meet the criteria.
The Government recognises that these remain extremely challenging conditions for tourism organisations across the country. We will continue to monitor the situation in the tourism sector as restrictions are eased, and I encourage DMOs to keep sharing information with VisitEngland and my Department.
DMOs have provided vital business support to local tourism organisations during this crisis, and will play a key role in helping our tourism industry recover.
List of DMOs who successfully applied to the fund and the amount awarded to them can be found on the attached table.
Asked by: Dan Jarvis (Labour - Barnsley North)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how much funding has been awarded through the DMO Resilience Fund, by individual Destination Management Organisations.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
The Destination Management Organisation (DMO) Resilience Fund awarded a total of £1.33m to eligible DMOs in England.
The fund has supported 56 DMOs. A further 23 applications were made which were unsuccessful as they did not meet the criteria.
The Government recognises that these remain extremely challenging conditions for tourism organisations across the country. We will continue to monitor the situation in the tourism sector as restrictions are eased, and I encourage DMOs to keep sharing information with VisitEngland and my Department.
DMOs have provided vital business support to local tourism organisations during this crisis, and will play a key role in helping our tourism industry recover.
List of DMOs who successfully applied to the fund and the amount awarded to them can be found on the attached table.
Asked by: Dan Jarvis (Labour - Barnsley North)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent assessment he has made of the economic effect of the covid-19 outbreak on destination management organisations (DMO); and whether his Department plans to increase the level of funding provided through the DMO resilience fund.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
The Destination Management Organisation (DMO) Resilience Fund awarded a total of £1.33m to eligible DMOs in England.
The fund has supported 56 DMOs. A further 23 applications were made which were unsuccessful as they did not meet the criteria.
The Government recognises that these remain extremely challenging conditions for tourism organisations across the country. We will continue to monitor the situation in the tourism sector as restrictions are eased, and I encourage DMOs to keep sharing information with VisitEngland and my Department.
DMOs have provided vital business support to local tourism organisations during this crisis, and will play a key role in helping our tourism industry recover.
List of DMOs who successfully applied to the fund and the amount awarded to them can be found on the attached table.
Asked by: Dan Jarvis (Labour - Barnsley North)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, when his Department plans to review the date for the re-opening of swimming pools as covid-19 lockdown restrictions are eased.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
The government recognises the importance of re-opening our indoor and outdoor pools and we agree that swimming is a great way for people of all ages to stay fit and healthy. The consideration of different venues and the activities involved are underpinned by an understanding of the risk of transmission of SARS-CoV-2 associated with particular activities. There are concerns about transmission around points of contact within such facilities, like changing rooms due to the high volume of contacts. As such, we need to provide reassurance that these facilities will be safe, and are working hard to achieve this in the coming weeks.
The government is actively working towards a safe way to re-open these facilities, with supporting guidance.