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

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what support the Government is providing to help ensure that museum curatorial staff are able to continue scientific work during the period of new national covid-19 lockdown from 5 November 2020.

Museums and galleries have been ordered to close under the national restrictions. In line with the regulations, curatorial staff are still able to undertake their work on site where it is not reasonably possible for them to do so from home.

Museums and galleries have made their workplaces Covid secure, in line with the guidance produced by the National Museums Directors’ Council with support from DCMS.

The Government has provided substantial financial support for museums through the Culture Recovery Fund, the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, and other measures, which will help museums, and other cultural organisations, continue their important work.