Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on financial support for the Scouts through the covid-19 outbreak to ensure that they can continue providing (a) young people with life skills and (b) support to communities; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by John Whittingdale
Government recognises the important role that uniformed youth groups play in communities, which is why we recently announced the £16.5 million Youth Covid-19 Support Fund (YCSF) that will protect the immediate future of grassroots and national youth organisations across the country. The YCSF opened on Friday 15 January 2021 and will remain open until 12 February. It will help to mitigate the impact of lost income during the winter period due to the coronavirus pandemic, and ensure services providing vital support can remain viable.
The Scout Association has also received £1 million through the £85 million Community Match Challenge, which is benefiting a number of youth organisations - including UK Youth and Girlguiding UK - heavily affected by the coronavirus pandemic.
Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether he plans to require his Department and its agencies to provide a payroll deduction service to allow staff to save more easily with a credit union; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by John Whittingdale
We don't currently offer a general payroll deduction service, but we keep our employee offer under review to ensure it continues to meet the needs of staff.
Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions he has had with the (a) Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and (b) Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on the potential merits of permitting amateur and semi-professional sports clubs to continue to train outdoors throughout the November 2020 covid-19 lockdown period.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
Sport and physical activity are incredibly important for our physical and mental health, and are a vital weapon against coronavirus.
Nobody wanted to be in the position of having to introduce further National Restrictions. However as the Prime Minister said, with the virus spreading faster than expected we cannot allow our health system to be overwhelmed. Therefore, from Thursday 5 November until Wednesday 2 December indoor and outdoor leisure will need to close. The National Restrictions are designed to get the R rate under control through limiting social contact and reducing transmissions.
In order for these measures to have the greatest impact, we will all need to sacrifice doing some things that we would otherwise like to do, for a short period of time. As soon as we're in a position to start lifting restrictions, grassroots sports will be one of the first to return.
People are still allowed to leave their homes for exercise and recreation outdoors, with your household or on your own, or with one person from another household or support bubble. The difficulty is that, when you unpick one thing, the effectiveness of the whole package is compromised.
Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what financial assistance he is providing to clubs in the (a) Spartan South Midlands Football League and (b) Southern Football League; if he will make a statement.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
Football clubs are the heart of local communities, they have unique social value and many with a great history.
The Government has provided unprecedented support to businesses throughout this period, including a comprehensive and sizable package of direct fiscal support for business through tax reliefs, cash grants and employee wage support. Many football clubs have benefited from these measures.
The Football Foundation has also provided financial support to grassroots clubs through its Matchday Support Fund, helping clubs to prepare for the resumption of football, as well as the safe return of supporters to stadiums where permitted. This investment follows the Foundation’s Pitch and Club Preparation Funds, which also saw grants for local clubs.
Importantly, under government guidance these clubs are able to admit spectators, whilst adhering to COVID-19 guidance, generating crucial revenue that is vital for their survival.
Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on (a) allocating capital grants to assist with the cost of (i) commercial rent, (ii) lease payments, (iii) insurance costs, (iv) business rates and (v) tax breaks, (b) longer mortgage holidays, (c) extending the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and (d) extending the Self-employed Income Support Scheme for the creative industries supply chain; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Caroline Dinenage
Ministers meet regularly with their Ministerial colleagues to discuss a variety of issues.
On 5 July, the government announced a major £1.57 billion support package for cultural organisations to help them through the coronavirus pandemic. Alongside recovery grants, and a repayable finance option for the largest organisations, the package includes £120m of capital investment to restart construction on cultural infrastructure and for heritage construction projects in England which was paused due to Covid-19 pandemic.
The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, Self-Employed Income Support Scheme, Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS), business rates relief, a reduction in VAT to 5% for tourism and hospitality firms for six months, and the Bounce Back Loan schemes in particular are providing support to organisations across the arts and creative industries sector.
Our world-beating creative industries are nothing without the people who work in them, and we are working hard to help provide financial support to freelancers in those sectors.
Arts Council England has made £95m available for individuals - which includes £75m in project grants to maximise employment opportunities, £18m in “Developing your Creative Practice” program, for individuals looking to develop new creative skills and £2m in benevolent funds to support the likes of stage managers and technicians.
Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if the Government will provide funding to local councils to coordinate community volunteering efforts during the covid-19 outbreak; and if he will make a statement,.
Answered by John Whittingdale
DCMS is responsible for the voluntary, charity and social enterprise sector, which includes volunteering.
We recognise and appreciate how much local communities have contributed towards volunteering efforts during the covid-19 outbreak. We advise that all volunteers do not enter the homes of vulnerable people and can provide support by assisting with food shopping, collecting medication and staying in touch via social media. Further information can be found on GOV.UK in the volunteering safely guidance published last week.
The Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government has outlined the support available to local authorities on its website.
Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, when representatives of the (a) Jain and (b) Zoroastrian community were invited to national events organised by her Department in each of the last two years.
Answered by Nigel Adams
Ministers have attended a number of key events coordinated by Jain and Zoroastrian organisations, and officials have invited representatives from both communities to participate in roundtable discussions where relevant issues are discussed.
The Jain and Zoroastrian communities of this country have made, and continue to make a positive contribution to life in the United Kingdom. The Government values this contribution enormously.
Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, when representatives of the (a) Jain and (b) Zoroastrian community were invited to national events organised by her Department in each of the last two years.
Answered by Nigel Adams
Ministers have attended a number of key events coordinated by Jain and Zoroastrian organisations, and officials have invited representatives from both communities to participate in roundtable discussions where relevant issues are discussed.
The Jain and Zoroastrian communities of this country have made, and continue to make a positive contribution to life in the United Kingdom. The Government values this contribution enormously.
Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if she will invite representatives of the Jain community to national events organised by her Department; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Helen Whately - Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
Britain’s Jain community makes a positive contribution to life in this country. This Government values its contribution immensely.
The Government is always keen to work with the Jain community on matters that are important to them, and we will continue to do so.