Asked by: Robert Halfon (Conservative - Harlow)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether private photographers who operate with social distancing measures can continue working during the 2021 covid-19 lockdown.
Answered by Caroline Dinenage
Private photographers are able to continue working, including leaving home for work purposes, where it is unreasonable for them to do their job from home. All relevant Covid-secure guidance developed with the Government should continue to be followed.
Asked by: Tom Tugendhat (Conservative - Tonbridge and Malling)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 23 November 2020 to Question 119289, whether photographers are able to work (a) indoors and (b) outdoors in areas under (i) tier 1, (ii) tier 2 and (iii) tier 3 covid-19 restrictions.
Answered by Nadine Dorries
Photographers who are practising in a work capacity are exempt from the gathering restrictions, though anybody who is not working and is taking part in the photography, including those being photographed, must adhere to the social contact restrictions that apply in that tier both indoors and outdoors.
Photographers cannot operate in premises that are closed, for example in a hospitality setting in tier 3, unless they are ‘making a film, television programme, audio programme or audio-visual advertisement’.
The Government is keeping the restrictions under continual review.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether professional photographers can continue to operate their businesses during the November 2020 covid-19 lockdown in England by performing work (a) outdoors, (b) indoors in a socially distanced way with (i) individuals, (ii) a single household and (iii) people in a bubble and (c) with businesses (A) inside and (B) outside that are allowed to remain open in a covid-secure way.
Answered by Nadine Dorries
In the national restrictions, which are due to expire on 2 December 2020, photography studios are not considered to be essential services and should not be open to members of the public, although a photographer may continue to leave the house to go to their own studio for work purposes. While photographers could meet one other person outside for the purposes of work, there is not an exemption allowing someone to leave the house to meet a photographer. Photographers may legally visit someone's home if necessary for work purposes. However, we would advise this is kept to a minimum or for essential purposes.
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether one-to-one professional photography is allowed (a) indoors and (b) outdoors during the November 2020 covid-19 lockdown in England.
Answered by Nadine Dorries
In the national restrictions, which are due to expire on 2 December 2020, photography studios are not considered to be essential services and should not be open to members of the public, although a photographer may continue to leave the house to go to their own studio for work purposes. While photographers could meet one other person outside for the purposes of work, there is not an exemption allowing someone to leave the house to meet a photographer. Photographers may legally visit someone's home if necessary for work purposes. However, we would advise this is kept to a minimum or for essential purposes.
Asked by: Tom Tugendhat (Conservative - Tonbridge and Malling)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether photographers are permitted to work (a) indoors and (b) outdoors during the November 2020 covid-19 lockdown.
Answered by Nadine Dorries
In the national restrictions, which are due to expire on 2 December 2020, photography studios are not considered to be essential services and should not be open to members of the public, although a photographer may continue to leave the house to go to their own studio for work purposes. While photographers could meet one other person outside for the purposes of work, there is not an exemption allowing someone to leave the house to meet a photographer. Photographers may legally visit someone's home if necessary for work purposes. However, we would advise this is kept to a minimum or for essential purposes.
Asked by: Helen Hayes (Labour - Dulwich and West Norwood)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the number of exhibits and projects focused on black history in museums and archives with national museum status; and if he will make an estimate of the amount and proportion of direct funding from his Department that has been allocated to those exhibits and projects.
Answered by Caroline Dinenage
DCMS-sponsored museums operate at arm’s length from the Government and DCMS does not have a role in creative or curatorial decisions. As such we do not directly fund any particular exhibitions or projects.
Many national museums and galleries display or hold material relating to black history with collections including relevant art, ceramics, fashion and photography.
Asked by: Karen Bradley (Conservative - Staffordshire Moorlands)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether photography businesses specialising in pets can continue to operate during the November 2020 covid-19 lockdown provided that the business is conducted outdoors, with only the pet owner and the photographer present and ensuring social distancing is observed.
Answered by Paul Scully
England’s new national restrictions closures guidance from Cabinet Office can be found here. This states ‘photography studios’ must close. However, it also states that businesses that provide services (rather than goods) are not required to close, unless listed in section 2 of the guide.
The Cabinet Office’s guidance states that Government cannot provide comments on individual cases of whether or not a business is permitted to open. It is for each business to assess whether they are a business required to close having considered the guidance and regulations.
Asked by: Bill Esterson (Labour - Sefton Central)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans he has to support self-employed wedding photographers who work from home and have not been eligible for covid-19 financial support since March 2020.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) is helping those that have been adversely affected by COVID-19 and has already provided over £13 billion of support. Those ineligible for the SEISS may still be eligible for other elements of the unprecedented financial support available. This package includes Bounce Back loans, tax deferrals, rental support, mortgage holidays, and other business support grants. All 11 million UK self-assessment taxpayers will also be able to benefit from the recently enhanced Time to Pay ‘self-service’ facility to establish a 12-month, interest-free payment arrangement for up to £30,000 of self-assessment debt.
Furthermore, the application deadline for four temporary coronavirus loan schemes – Bounce Back Loans, Coronavirus Business Interruption Loans, Coronavirus Large Business Interruption Loans (CBILS) and the Future Fund - has also been extended to 30 November. Up to half a million businesses which deferred their VAT bills will also be given more breathing space through the New Payment Scheme, which gives them the option to spread their payments over the financial year 2021-2022.
Asked by: Ed Davey (Liberal Democrat - Kingston and Surbiton)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate he has made of the loss of income to freelance photographers as a result of the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Caroline Dinenage
On 5 July, the Government announced a major £1.57 billion support package for key cultural organisations to help them through the coronavirus pandemic. Guidance has been published by Arts Council England, the British Film Institute, Historic England and the National Lottery Heritage Fund for applicants to the Culture Recovery Grants application rounds, and by Arts Council England for applicants to the Repayable Finance Scheme. Further details on eligibility and application processes are available in the published guidance.
This funding will provide targeted support to organisations across a range of sectors, with one of our core objectives being to support the cultural organisations that are crucial to places across the whole country. We will ensure that funding is distributed fairly, and that smaller organisations and cultural venues that are at the centre of their communities are protected.
We also recognise the crucial role that individuals play in making our arts and creative industries world-leading. As a result of these grants and loans, organisations will be more able to resume cultural activity, albeit in a socially distanced way, which will increase employment opportunities for freelancers.
Asked by: Layla Moran (Liberal Democrat - Oxford West and Abingdon)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the cost to the public purse has been of private photographers for 10 Downing Street in each of the last 12 months.
Answered by Chloe Smith
During the course of the year, 10 Downing Street hosts a number of events to celebrate the work of charities and mark initiatives such as Black History Month, NHS workers, Police Bravery, Pride, International Women’s Day and Girls’ Education. As part of this a freelance photographer is occasionally engaged for the primary purpose of taking photographs of the guests attending; these photographs are then shared with them after the event. This is since there are security restrictions on personal photography by guests. The cost of this over the last 12 months has been £5,100.
Given the Hon. Member's interest in freelance photography, I also refer her to the answer to 28 November 2011, Official Report, Column 733W, by her Rt Hon Friend, the Member for Kingston and Surbiton.