Entertainments: Coronavirus

(asked on 11th January 2021) - View Source

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what financial support is available for self-employed people in the entertainment sector during the covid-19 outbreak.


Answered by
Jesse Norman Portrait
Jesse Norman
This question was answered on 19th January 2021

The Government recognises the impact that closures across the country will have on the entertainment industry, as well as those who work within it, and remains committed to supporting the sector through the impact of the pandemic.

The Culture Recovery Fund has already supported a wide range of cultural organisations, including venues, festivals and theatres. The £1 billion already committed has supported 3,000 organisations and more than 75,000 jobs. The remaining £400m of Culture Recovery Fund grants and loans announced on 11 December will support significant cultural organisations and those who work within them who now face financial distress as a result of closure, as well as helping them transition back to fuller opening in the spring.

Further, the third grant of the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) will be available to self-employed individuals, including those working within the entertainment sector, who have been affected by reduced demand or have been unable to trade due to COVID-19, which they believe will lead to a significant reduction in their trading profits.

The online service for the third grant is open to claims until 29 January 2021. Guidance on who can claim has been published on gov.uk: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/claim-a-grant-through-the-coronavirus-covid-19-self-employment-income-support-scheme.

There will also be a fourth grant covering February to April 2021. The Government will set out further details, including the level of the fourth grant, in due course.

Moreover, the SEISS continues to be just one element of a substantial package of support for the self-employed. Those ineligible for the SEISS may still be eligible for other elements of the support available. The Universal Credit standard allowance has been temporarily increased for 2020-21 and the Minimum Income Floor relaxed for the duration of the crisis, so that where self-employed claimants' earnings have fallen significantly, their Universal Credit award will have increased to reflect their lower earnings. In addition to this, they may also have access to other elements of the package, including Bounce Back loans, tax deferrals, rental support, mortgage holidays, self-isolation support payments and other business support grants.

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