Asked by: Lord Kempsell (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to protect and support sacred choral music in the UK including by supporting (1) cathedral choirs, and (2) relevant music education.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
HM Government has a strong commitment to all forms of music, including choral music.
Between 2019/20 and 2023/24 Arts Council England funded activity with a choral focus or element by nearly £200 million. This funding has supported the development, touring and promotion of choral music throughout England. Organisations supported by this funding include Ex Cathedra, a nationally recognised choir with a repertoire that reaches from the 12th to the 21st centuries.
Within the Music and Dance Scheme, the Department for Education continues to fund bursaries for training choristers through the Choir Schools’ Association.
Asked by: Lord Kempsell (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to improve the cybersecurity of publicly-funded cultural institutions after the recent cyberattack on the British Library.
Answered by Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay - Shadow Minister (Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government Cyber Security Strategy sets out our plan significantly to harden the Government’s critical functions against cyber attacks by 2025, with all Government organisations across the public sector being resilient to known vulnerabilities no later than 2030. We are working closely with publicly-funded institutions to enhance their overall cyber-resilience and to ensure that these targets are met.
The National Cyber Security Centre and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport have been working closely with the British Library since the cyber-attack it sustained in October 2023. The British Library is working hard to restore its services and began a phased return of key services on 15 January 2024.