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

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether financial support from her Department is available to freelance workers in the creative industries.

We recognise the vital contribution that freelancers provide to the cultural ecosystem of this country. That is why we committed in the Creative Industries Sector Plan to appoint a Freelance Champion, who will advocate for the creative sector’s freelancers within government.

The Government is focused on growth and good jobs across the creative industries, as set out in our Creative Industries Sector Plan. Freelancers will benefit from programmes including the £150m Creative Places Growth Fund, with funding devolved directly to 6 MSAs to support regional priorities in their regional creative clusters, and the sub-sector growth packages. Arts Council England also provides funding and support for individual artists and creatives through two programmes: Developing Your Creative Practice, which offers £2,000–£12,000 for career development, mentoring, research and training; and National Lottery Project Grants, which provide £1,000–£100,000 for creative projects and R&D.