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

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent discussions he has had with his counterparts in the (a) German and (b) South Korean Governments on allowing spectators into sports stadia during the covid-19 outbreak.

My department has had no such recent discussions with the German or South Korean Governments. Officials in my department engage regularly with a range of representatives to discuss a variety of issues related to the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on my department’s areas of responsibility.

The government recognises that fans will be disappointed that sports pilot events were paused and that spectators were not able to be admitted to stadia from 1 October. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport is working with HM Treasury on what can be done to provide further support. The Department will also continue to work with colleagues across Whitehall to support the sector, to review best practice globally, and to return fans to sports stadia when it is safe to do so.