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

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what impact assessment was carried out on the effect of the delay to lifting lockdown restrictions on 21 June 2021 on (a) theatres, (b) music venues and (c) cultural organisations.

The Prime Minister has always said that we would be led by data, not dates. The government has looked at the data very closely and assessed it against the four tests set out in our roadmap. It is on the basis of worsening data that we have taken the difficult call not to proceed with this reopening at this point, but to pause for four weeks.

There is uncertainty on test 3. The Delta variant is already driving the growth we are seeing in infection rates and hospitalisations, and at the same time non-COVID emergency demand on the NHS is the highest it has been since the start of the pandemic. We have assessed that we have not met test 4. Our assessment of the risks has been altered by the Delta variant: the latest data suggests the Delta variant is between 40% and 80% more transmissible than the Alpha variant.

Therefore, the Government announced a four-week pause at Step 3. We will use this time to get more vaccinations in arms, both first and second doses, and to learn more about the Delta variant. We anticipate that a four-week pause of this kind could significantly reduce the number of hospitalisations and deaths.

We recognise the challenging times facing all sectors currently, the Department has been working closely with stakeholders across the theatre industry, music venues and cultural organisations throughout the pandemic to maintain a complete picture of the financial impact of Covid-19 to ensure they survive this difficult period wherever possible.

Many of these organisations have benefitted from the significant cross-economy support available throughout this pandemic, including the generous employment schemes, grants, loans, a reduction in VAT to 5%, and business rates relief. And some businesses may further be eligible for the unprecedented Culture Recovery Fund - the largest one-off investment in UK culture - as we look to provide support for a wide range of cultural institutions including galleries, theatres, museums, music venues, comedy clubs and festivals, as audiences begin to return.