Arts, Culture and Heritage: Support Package

Damian Collins Excerpts
Tuesday 7th July 2020

(3 years, 9 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Caroline Dinenage Portrait Caroline Dinenage
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As I have said, the best thing we can do to support those freelancers who have not been scooped up by the self-employment income support scheme—very many thousands have been—is to get the organisations back up and running so that these individuals can start earning money again.

Damian Collins Portrait Damian Collins (Folkestone and Hythe) (Con) [V]
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I welcome this incredibly important package of support for the arts, but it is important that it does not become one that principally benefits venues and not the production companies and producers who put on the shows. Has the Minister considered the idea, put forward by Sam Mendes, that the Government could take a financial stake in new productions to ensure that venues are full, both of creativity and of people?

Caroline Dinenage Portrait Caroline Dinenage
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We have taken soundings from a range of people up and down the sector who have been phenomenal at providing us with all sorts of information and ideas, which has helped us to construct the package. We will set out more clearly how it will work in the days ahead.