Became Member: 23rd June 2004
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These initiatives were driven by Baroness Bonham-Carter of Yarnbury, and are more likely to reflect personal policy preferences.
Baroness Bonham-Carter of Yarnbury has not introduced any legislation before Parliament
Baroness Bonham-Carter of Yarnbury has not co-sponsored any Bills in the current parliamentary sitting
The BBC is not ending long-wave transmissions of BBC Radio 4 on 31 March 2024. The Corporation announced in 2022 that it would be ending the separate programming for Radio 4 on long wave only and moving to a single Radio 4 schedule.
The BBC has been communicating this change to ensure that listeners know how they can still hear Radio 4 programmes which are only broadcast on long wave on other BBC radio services or other platforms.
Under the BBC’s 2016 Royal Charter and Agreement, it is a matter for the BBC to determine how long to continue with its long-wave transmissions.
The near £2 billion Culture Recovery Fund (CRF) has awarded around £1.5 billion to date, including funding for the DCMS-sponsored national cultural institutions. It has supported around 5,000 individual organisations and sites across the country ranging from local museums to West End theatres, grassroots music venues to festivals, and organisations in the cultural and heritage supply-chains.
The CRF also supports freelancers by ensuring the venues and organisations which support and employ them have survived the pandemic.
The boosted Emergency Resource Support strand of the programme will give eligible applicants, at imminent risk of financial failure, a further opportunity to bid for support, protecting even more organisations so that they can continue to create jobs and contribute to the economy.
We are still in the assessment process for the relaunched strand, so it is not yet possible to list all the organisations which will benefit from the most recent funding increase.
The first round of the Emergency Resource Support strand of the Culture Recovery Fund (CRF) ran in Summer and Autumn 2021 and was delivered by Arts Council England, Historic England, the National Heritage Memorial Fund, and the British Film Institute. The second round was launched in Winter 2021.
The first round of this funding supported 183 organisations, from a total of 259 full applications, giving a success rate of 70.66%. This excludes organisations which did not reach full application stage, and (for Arts Council England) applications ruled out for technical eligibility reasons. Further information on success rates will be published in due course, as set out below.
The CRF is delivered at arm’s length from the government by Arts Council England, the British Film Institute, the National Heritage Lottery Fund, and Heritage England. Data for successful grant offers that have been published can be found on their websites.
We acknowledge that there is public interest in aggregated all-CRF geographical breakdowns for this important investment, as well as the organisation size breakdowns for successful applicants. For this reason, later this year DCMS will publish sets of aggregated and anonymised management data to demonstrate the geography and characteristics of the CRF applicants and awardees - to the extent that our data-set allows. This will also include further up-to-date information on success rates.
We will deposit a copy of this information in the Libraries of both Houses.
The first round of the Emergency Resource Support strand of the Culture Recovery Fund (CRF) ran in Summer and Autumn 2021 and was delivered by Arts Council England, Historic England, the National Heritage Memorial Fund, and the British Film Institute. The second round was launched in Winter 2021.
The first round of this funding supported 183 organisations, from a total of 259 full applications, giving a success rate of 70.66%. This excludes organisations which did not reach full application stage, and (for Arts Council England) applications ruled out for technical eligibility reasons. Further information on success rates will be published in due course, as set out below.
The CRF is delivered at arm’s length from the government by Arts Council England, the British Film Institute, the National Heritage Lottery Fund, and Heritage England. Data for successful grant offers that have been published can be found on their websites.
We acknowledge that there is public interest in aggregated all-CRF geographical breakdowns for this important investment, as well as the organisation size breakdowns for successful applicants. For this reason, later this year DCMS will publish sets of aggregated and anonymised management data to demonstrate the geography and characteristics of the CRF applicants and awardees - to the extent that our data-set allows. This will also include further up-to-date information on success rates.
We will deposit a copy of this information in the Libraries of both Houses.
The Cultural Renewal Taskforce (CRT) and its Working Groups were set up to develop guidance for safe reopening of DCMS sectors following the latest coronavirus guidelines. The Culture Recovery Board was created to oversee the delivery of the Culture Recovery Fund.
The membership of the Cultural Renewal Taskforce and its Working Groups and the membership of the Culture Recovery Board can be found on the government’s website. The Local Government Association is a member of several of the CRT Working Groups.
I refer the Noble Baroness to the Secretary of State’s answer to Written Question 135862 on 14th January.
The Government has worked with various Arms Length Bodies to create tailored funding packages, made up of existing funding, to support the cultural sector at this time.
Arts Council England has announced a £160m emergency response package to complement the financial measures already announced by the Government and support the resilience of this vital sector. This funding package will support organisations and individuals who need the most support to see them through this crisis. More details can be found on the Arts Council’s website (https://www.artscouncil.org.uk/covid19).
The National Lottery Heritage Fund is also making £50 million available through the Heritage Emergency Fund which will address immediate pressures over the next 3-6 months for those most in need alongside increased investment in essential digital skills across the sector, providing expertise in critical areas such as digital fundraising, use of social media and communications, running online events and activities.
Historic England has also launched a £2 million Covid-19 Emergency Response Fund to provide grants to small heritage organisations. This funding will help organisations, voluntary groups and self-employed contractors survive the immediate challenges posed by the pandemic, and to prepare for recovery.
In order to support the arts sector specifically, including those charitable organisations within the sector, DCMS has worked closely with Arts Council England to provide a tailored package of financial support. In March, Arts Council England announced a £160m emergency response package to complement the financial measures already announced by the Government and support the resilience of this vital sector. This funding package will support organisations and individuals who need the most support to see them through this crisis. More details can be found on the Arts Council’s website (https://www.artscouncil.org.uk/covid19).
Many charitable organisations within the Arts are continuing to provide their world class content in innovative and unique formats and continue to engage with their communities. The Globe Theatre, The National Theatre and The Royal Opera House are all providing access to their online catalogues and providing access to culture in digital formats in order to maintain their links with communities. In addition, Sadler's Wells is presenting a programme of full-length dance performances and workshops online to connect people through dance, and Wiltshire Creative is working with its young ambassadors to plan a Takeover Festival which will run over the summer online and consist of events, performances and activities.
The UK is a champion of media freedom and a proud member of the Media Freedom Coalition. Defending media freedom at home and abroad is a priority for the UK. In Afghanistan, we understand that around 40 per cent of media outlets have ceased to operate and that 60 per cent of journalists have lost their jobs since August 2021. We continue to address the issue of media freedom in our discussions with the Taliban. We regularly raise media freedom at a senior level with the Government of Pakistan, most recently in January 2023. We condemn the Iranian authorities' crackdown on journalists and continue to raise the Iranian peoples' right to access independent media. The UK regularly engages countries on the need to respect human rights, including on freedom of expression and media freedom.
It remains a top priority to help those British nationals and those Afghans eligible to come to the UK, to leave Afghanistan, including journalists. Since the end of the military evacuation, the Government has facilitated the departure of both Afghan and British nationals from Afghanistan. Although travel within Afghanistan remains dangerous, and many border crossings have been closed during this period, we have also helped both British nationals and eligible Afghans when they have crossed into third countries, from where our diplomatic missions have been able to support their onward travel to the UK. We will continue to work to take advantage of all opportunities to help those eligible to come to the UK to leave Afghanistan.
The earliest date by which applicants can expect to receive funding from the SME Brexit Support Fund, following a successful application, is within 30 days of the valid claim for reimbursement being accepted.
Applicants can only seek support for eligible expenditure on or after 11 February 2021, the date the scheme was announced.
The Government has provided extensive guidance to businesses on VAT, excise, and customs processes to support them in their readiness for the UK leaving the EU. This guidance includes videos, webinars and step-by-step guides.
The announcement of the SME Brexit Support Fund followed extensive engagement with individual businesses, leading business organisations and trade associations from across the UK. Grants have been designed to cover a significant portion of the costs faced for basic customs training courses or professional advice on customs, rules of origin and the VAT aspects of imports and exports.
The Government has provided enhanced support to the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors through business rates relief given the direct and acute impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on those sectors. The Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government published updated guidance on 25 March.
A range of further measures to support all businesses, including those not eligible for the business rates holiday, such as creative industry businesses, has also been made available. For example, the Government has launched the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme to help firms continue to keep people in employment and the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme offering loans of up to £5 million for SMEs through the British Business Bank, backed by an 80% Government guarantee, and is deferring VAT payments for this quarter.
The Government will consider any further financial assistance necessary to help businesses get through this period.
The Government has provided enhanced support to the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors through business rates relief given the direct and acute impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on those sectors. The Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government published updated guidance on 25 March.
A range of further measures to support all businesses, including those not eligible for the business rates holiday, such as creative industry businesses, has also been made available. For example, the Government has launched the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme to help firms continue to keep people in employment and the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme offering loans of up to £5 million for SMEs through the British Business Bank, backed by an 80% Government guarantee, and is deferring VAT payments for this quarter.
The Government will consider any further financial assistance necessary to help businesses get through this period.
On 13 June 2022, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Home Office announced the launch Pathways 2 and 3 of the ACRS.
Under Pathway 3, in the first year, places are being offered to eligible at-risk British Council contractors, GardaWorld contractors, and Chevening alumni in Afghanistan or the region. We are pleased to have welcomed the first arrivals to the UK and look forward to welcoming all remaining individuals as soon as practicable.
Beyond this, we will work with international partners and NGOs to welcome wider groups of Afghans at risk under Pathway 3. This commitment still stands, and further details will be set out in due course.
However, it is important that we take into account the capacity of the UK to resettle people, and our immediate focus is ensuring the relocation of those already assessed as eligible.
Statistics on individuals resettled or relocated under the Afghan schemes have now also become available in the Immigration System Statistics, year ending December 2022 release.
They show that 21,387 people have now been resettled or relocated through the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) and the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP). This includes people identified as particularly at risk including journalists.
Whilst I am not able to provide a breakdown of this data by occupation, work continues to assure information relating to all the people resettled and relocated to the UK, under the ACRS and the ARAP, on case working systems. Once this work concludes, statistics on both schemes - including the number of people resettled under each - will be included in the published Immigration Statistics.
The Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS) opened for applications on 23 March. As of 21 April, over £2.8 billion worth of loans have been issued to over 16,600 businesses. Lenders have received a total of over 36,000 applications.
At this time we cannot provide a breakdown of CBILS funding by sector, as we have given lenders a temporary dispensation from uploading their data to the British Business Bank’s system in order to let them focus on issuing new loans. This is a pragmatic step that reflects the urgency of getting loans issued. We are working with the British Business Bank, HM Treasury and the lenders on providing transparent and regular data publication going forward.
Government has also made £12.3 billion available to businesses under the Small Business Grants Fund and the Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Grants Fund. On 1 May, the Business Secretary made up to £617 million available to local authorities to support small businesses previously outside the scope of the business grant funding. Local authorities are contacting businesses directly to deliver these grants. See this link for further (attached) information: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/top-up-to-local-business-grant-funds-scheme
As of 3 May, over 697,000 business premises have received grants across the two schemes, totalling £8.6 billion. We do not receive management information from local authorities broken down by sector. We have, however, published, a full breakdown of grant funding allocated to and distributed by each local authority (attached) here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-grant-funding-local-authority-payments-to-small-and-medium-businesses.
Government is providing a package of support for businesses and workers, in recognition of the disruption caused by Covid-19. This includes £12.3bn for local authorities to deliver to SMEs under the Small Business Grants Fund and the Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Grants Fund. On 1 May, the Business Secretary announced a further up to £617 million available to local authorities to support small businesses previously outside the scope of the business grant funding. Government is working closely with all local authorities to help them make payments to businesses as quickly and effectively as possible, whilst safeguarding public funds. As part of this we have provided detailed guidance and FAQs, regular briefings and one-to-one support from ministers and officials. Government will also provide additional funding to local authorities to meet the administrative costs of delivering this policy. Alongside support through local authorities, the Chancellor pledged an additional £10 million to increase Growth Hub capacity and provide high-quality business advice and guidance across all 38 Growth Hubs.