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

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of issuing mandatory diversity quotas for artists whose art is displayed by galleries which receive funding from his Department.

The Government is clear that it expects the cultural sectors to represent our diverse society in their artistic talent, workforce and audiences. As the national development agency for art and culture, Arts Council England (ACE) has a responsibility to ensure that public money benefits all of the public.

ACE ensures there is diversity in audiences, leaders, producers and creators of arts and culture. Their Inclusivity and Relevance principle sets out how organisations in receipt of public funding, including galleries, can work towards this objective across their workforce and governing bodies, the programmes they present, and the audiences they engage with.

ACE has also developed a set of accessible resources which are available online to support organisations to develop their ambitions of becoming more inclusive, including addressing any barriers faced for example by disabled people and those from lower socio-economic backgrounds.