Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sports, what steps his Department is taking to support businesses in the events industry who have had to cancel events at short notice in response to new covid-19 lockdown restrictions.

We are aware that the events industry has been severely impacted by Government measures to control the spread of Covid-19. Events businesses and individuals can seek support in the form of various government-backed loans, business grants and the extended furlough and self-employed support schemes.

In light of the national restrictions announced on 4 January, the Chancellor has announced one-off top up grants for retail, hospitality and leisure businesses worth up to £9,000 per property to help businesses through to the Spring. He also announced that a £594 million discretionary fund will be made available to support other impacted businesses. This comes on top of the existing Additional Restrictions Grant discretionary funding and the Local Restrictions Support Grants.

The Culture Recovery Fund has already supported a wide range of cultural organisations, including venues, festivals and theatres. The £1 billion already committed has supported 3000 organisations and more than 75,000 jobs. £300 million in grants and £100 million in loans is available to support cultural organisations including businesses in the events industry.

We continue to engage with stakeholders, including through the Tourism Industry Council and the Events Industry Senior Leaders Advisory Panel, to monitor the situation facing the sector.