Asked by: Nusrat Ghani (Conservative - Sussex Weald)
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 support freelance venue technicians and producers unable to access Government support.
Answered by Caroline Dinenage
We recognise the crucial role that individuals play in making our arts and creative industries world-leading.
Arts Council England (ACE) has already distributed £104m through its Emergency Response Package to ensure the immediate resilience of this vital sector. The package included £80.7 million of support for cultural organisations, and £23.1 million of financial support for individuals, including freelancers. More than 9000 organisations and individuals were successful in applying for this emergency funding.
To complement Government Funding, ACE have made over £115m of funding available for individuals, including freelancers, to apply for. This includes:
£17.1m through the Emergency Response Fund for individuals;
£18m through their Developing Your Creative Practice fund;
£75m through National Lottery Project Grants (available to both individuals and orgs); and
£6m distributed by a series of Benevolent Funds focused on the self-employed.
The Secretary of State announced an unprecedented £1.57 billion support package for the cultural sector which will benefit the live events sector by providing support to venues and many other cultural organisations to stay open and continue operating. £333 million was awarded to 1973 arts organisations which had applied for grants less than £1 million from Arts Council England. Funded organisations included venues, festivals, theatres, museums and cultural organisations. Over the coming weeks further Culture Recovery Fund awards will be announced - including grants over £1 million, and the Capital Kickstart and Repayable Finance programmes.
The Chancellor has announced the Winter Economy Plan to protect jobs and support businesses over the coming months, once the existing Self-Employment Income Support Scheme and Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme come to end. We are also offering businesses who face a drop in demand for their services and possible cash flow issues generous terms for the repayment of deferred taxes and government-backed loans.
We continue to engage with the sector to discuss the on-going challenges facing the industry.
Asked by: Nusrat Ghani (Conservative - Sussex Weald)
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 further support for the live events sector during the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Caroline Dinenage
We continue to engage with the live events sector and HM Treasury to discuss the on-going challenges facing the industry. We will analyse the impact of the funds we have already announced.
The Secretary of State announced an unprecedented £1.57 billion support package for the cultural sector which will benefit the live events sector by providing support to venues and many other cultural organisations to stay open and continue operating. £333 million was awarded to 1973 arts organisations which had applied for grants less than £1 million from Arts Council England. Funded organisations included venues, festivals, theatres, museums and cultural organisations. Over the coming weeks further Culture Recovery Fund awards will be announced - including grants over £1 million, and the Capital Kickstart and Repayable Finance programmes.
The Chancellor has announced the Winter Economy Plan to protect jobs and support businesses over the coming months, once the existing Self-Employment Income Support Scheme and Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme come to end. We are also offering businesses who face a drop in demand for their services and possible cash flow issues generous terms for the repayment of deferred taxes and government-backed loans.
We are continuing to meet with live events stakeholders to provide support and guidance for venues to re-open and stage live events.
Asked by: Nusrat Ghani (Conservative - Sussex Weald)
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 make an assessment of the implications for his guidance on holding live events and festivals of the ability of venues to accommodate people on the basis of the rule of six.
Answered by Caroline Dinenage
The Government recognises that the pandemic presents a significant challenge to the live entertainment industry.
As part of the Government’s roadmap to get the performing arts and live entertainment sectors back up and running, venues and organisations are able to put on live performances in front of a socially-distanced audience in line with the latest Covid secure guidance.
Venues and events such as theatres, concert halls and other entertainment venues that are already able to host more than six people, and are COVID-secure in line with the relevant guidance, will continue to be able to do so. Groups within an event must follow restrictions set out in Local Covid Alert levels. In line with the Performing Arts guidance, there cannot be any interaction between separate and distinct groups of no more than 6 (In Medium areas and outdoors) or individual households (in High and Very High areas) at any time (depending on Local Covid Alert Level restrictions).
In Medium Local Covid Alert Level areas it is against the law to gather in groups of more than six people within a venue or event, unless everyone is from the same household or support bubble. In High and Very High areas, it is against the law to gather indoors in groups which do not consist only of the same household and support bubble.
Venues and events located in very high alert level areas should check the specific rules for their areas.