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

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent assessment she has made of the potential economic contribution of community (a) arts and (b) literary festivals.

This Government recognises the importance of community arts and literary festivals in bringing local communities together, providing them with high-quality culture, and stimulating local growth.

Data collection plays an integral role in how the Department for Culture, Media and Sport assesses the economic contribution of its sectors to the UK economy. DCMS publishes official statistics (DCMS Sectors Economic Estimates) including data on Gross Value Added, employment and business demographics, which are available at national and regional levels.These data can be found on the DCMS website at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/dcms-sectors-economic-estimates

DCMS Sectors Economic Estimates does not, however, provide data specific to community arts and literary festivals.