Asked by: Dan Poulter (Conservative - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether he is taking steps to encourage local authorities to support and improve motorhome facilities in towns and rural areas to increase tourism and economic activity from that sector.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
We are in regular contact with representatives of the motorhome and caravan park industry, such as the British Holiday & Home Parks Association (BH&HPA). We are listening closely to the sector’s views, and we understand the concerns of motorhome and caravan park businesses, motorhome owners and holidaymakers.
The government is encouraging local planning authorities to exercise their discretion in relation to planning conditions for motorhome, caravan, campsites and holiday parks, in order to help these businesses extend their open season. See the Written Ministerial Statement HCWS367, made on the 14th July by the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government.
We will continue to engage with stakeholders, including local authorities to assess how we can most effectively support tourism’s recovery across the UK.
Asked by: Dan Poulter (Conservative - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if he will extend the Culture Recovery Fund for Heritage to include (a) rental companies and (b) the entire live events supply chain.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
Applications for the Culture Recovery Fund for Heritage are now closed. This funding will be used to support organisations across the heritage sector that have exhausted all other financing options and are now at risk of failure.
The package is intended to support the nation’s most important organisations. Funding will not be available for every organisation – applications were based on and scrutinised against rigorous criteria to prioritise support. Therefore, it is not possible to assist every type of organisation that makes up our broad and varied heritage sector. Applications were not accepted if they were from organisations that manage heritage that are not in England, organisations that were not operating sustainably before March 2020, organisations that need more than £3million to stabilise and organisations that manage or preserve natural habitats and species.
The core objective for this funding is to support the cultural organisations that are crucial to places across the whole country. Applicants would have needed to demonstrate they were viable and have a credible plan in place showing how government support would be used in the most cost effective way
Asked by: Dan Poulter (Conservative - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich)
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 plans to take to allow private swimming pools that are available for public hire to reopen safely as the covid-19 lockdown restrictions re eased.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
Sports and physical activity facilities play a crucial role in supporting adults and children to be active. As announced on 9 July, from 11 July, outdoor swimming pools will be able to open and from 25 July indoor gyms, leisure centres (including sports halls) and swimming pools in England should be able to reopen. These facilities will be able to offer on-site services to customers, provided they are COVID-secure and follow Government guidance.
The updated guidance can be found at the GOV.UK website and includes advice for providers of pool, gym and leisure facilities on cleaning, social distancing, and protection for staff to help venues get back up and running safely.
Asked by: Dan Poulter (Conservative - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment his Department has made of the viability of allowing outdoor (a) country festivals and (b) other outdoor events to re-open with covid-19 protection measures as the covid-19 lockdown restrictions are eased; and what plans the Government has to provide long-term support to small businesses that organise those events.
Answered by Caroline Dinenage
DCMS has worked closely with the Events Industry Forum, and other members of the Entertainment and Events Working Group (which supports and informs the Cultural Renewal Taskforce), on developing sector-led Covid-19 secure guidance for outdoor events. This guidance, once published, would enable organised outdoor events to operate safely with appropriate risk assessment, and in line with the latest government regulations and advice.
DCMS continues to engage with a range of departments to support the economic response to Covid-19, and to ensure that the needs of its sectors, and those who work in them, are fully understood.
The Government has put in place unprecedented support that small businesses can take advantage of including the Bounceback Loan Scheme, discretionary business grants administered by local authorities and the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme.
Asked by: Dan Poulter (Conservative - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich)
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 viability of self-contained holiday rentals being treated in the same manner as second homes when lifting covid-19 restrictions as long as relevant public health guidance is followed.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
We will look at opening forms of holiday accommodation in Step 3 of the government’s recovery strategy, currently planned for 4 July at the earliest. This will be subject to the further scientific advice and the latest risk assessment at the time.
My Department has launched the Cultural Renewal Taskforce to help our sectors’ businesses prepare to reopen when it is safe to do so. To inform this Taskforce, we have set up a Visitor Economy Working Group to specifically focus on the practicalities and guidelines for restarting tourism activity during the recovery period. We remain in regular contact with holiday rentals stakeholders as part of this Group.
Asked by: Dan Poulter (Conservative - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what plans his Department has to support holiday lettings businesses during the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government is committed to helping all holiday accommodation businesses through this crisis. We will continue to engage with stakeholders to assess how we can most effectively support the tourism industry during the recovery period.
We have announced unprecedented support for business and workers to protect them against the current economic emergency. This includes a Bounce Back loan scheme to help small businesses access loans of up to £50,000, with a 100% government-backed guarantee for lenders.
To accommodate certain small businesses previously outside the scope of the business grant funds scheme, the Government has allocated additional funding to Local Authorities in England in the form of a discretionary grant fund of up to £617m.
Asked by: Dan Poulter (Conservative - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich)
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 support British tourism during the covid-19 pandemic.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government is committed to helping the British tourism industry through this crisis and beyond. We will continue to engage with stakeholders to assess how we can most effectively support the sector during the recovery period.
We have announced unprecedented support for business and workers to protect them against the current economic emergency. This includes employee support, business rates relief and grants for eligible hospitality and leisure businesses, plus £330bn worth of government backed and guaranteed loans. The Chancellor also introduced a Bounce Back loan scheme to help small businesses access loans of up to £50,000, with a 100% government-backed guarantee for lenders.
To accommodate certain small businesses previously outside the scope of the business grant funds scheme, the Government has allocated additional funding to Local Authorities in England in the form of a discretionary grant fund of up to £617m. Through VisitEngland, we announced a £1.3 million scheme to provide financial support to Destination Management Organisations at risk of closure due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
We have recently set up the Visitor Economy Working Group which will specifically focus on the practicalities and guidelines for opening up the tourism sector and recovery.
Asked by: Dan Poulter (Conservative - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what plans his Department has to support the roll-out of superfast broadband to rural areas in response to the increase in remote working during the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Matt Warman
Now, more than ever, it is important that people can get reliable connectivity to help them work. That is why the Government is working closely with the telecommunications industry to ensure that
the roll out of digital infrastructure continues during the current pandemic and exploring what can be done to make the roll-out as rapid as possible. It is also why telecoms workers have been designated as 'key workers'
Given the current situation and guidance from Government regarding COVID-19 measures, Building Digital UK (BDUK) has been in contact with their key Superfast suppliers to understand what impact this might have on BDUK contracts, and what contingency measures are being put in place or being considered to be put in place as the situation develops.
Currently, on site work continues whilst observing the guidelines around social distancing. BDUK is aware that this situation could change and will update their plans accordingly, if necessary. This not only applies to the Superfast programme but also for the Local Full Fibre Networks and Rural Gigabit Connectivity programmes also.