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

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent discussions she has had with representatives of civil society organisations on the explicit exclusion of (a) commutable diseases, (b) coronaviruses and (c) pandemics from insurance policies of civil society organisations; what assessment she has made of the impact that that omission will have on those organisations; and what representations she has made to the insurance industry on such exclusions.

My department has monitored the impact of the pandemic on civil society throughout the crisis, and regularly discusses emerging issues with civil society representatives. To date discussions have not raised serious cross-sectoral concerns about the availability of insurance.

In specific cases, the government has taken action to address difficulties in accessing appropriate insurance products. For example in September the Live Events Reinsurance Scheme was launched. The scheme will support events - such as festivals, conferences and business events - at risk of being halted or delayed due to an inability to obtain COVID-19 cancellation insurance. This scheme will benefit civil society organisations that operate or benefit from live events.

The government will continue to work with sector representatives and listen to concerns raised regarding the impact of the pandemic.