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

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department took to ensure that the distribution of the £1.57 billion Cultural Recovery Fund was as wide and as fair as possible.

Each Arms Length Body, Arts Council England, Historic England, National Lottery Heritage Fund, and the British Film Institute, is responsible for delivering the Fund. They were chosen due to their long established grant delivery role, their expertise and understanding of the sectors in which they operate.

They are overseen by the independent Culture Recovery Board, chaired by Sir Damon Buffini. The board has an advisory role in the delivery of the larger grants, makes final decisions on the repayable finance applications, and provides assurance that the criteria is being used consistently across each part of the Fund.

As well as financial and cultural significance criteria, applications are also considered against balancing criteria, including ensuring a geographical spread of successful applicants