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

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what data his Department holds on access to arts and culture for children and young people with a disability.

The Government is committed to ensuring that all children and young people have access to arts and culture across the UK, regardless of their background or circumstances.

The Taking Part Survey was the Department for Culture, Media and Sport’s key evidence source for the level of engagement with the arts, heritage, museums and libraries. In 2019/20 this survey identified that 91.3% of children (aged 5–15) with a long-standing illness or disability had engaged with the arts in the 12 months preceding their response to the survey. The publication can be found here.

In 2021, the Taking Part Survey was replaced by DCMS’s Participation Survey. This captures participation data for people aged 16 and over in England, and also asks respondents if they have a long-standing illness or disability. The most recent annual publication can be found here.

The Department is working closely with the Government-appointed Arts & Culture Disability & Access Ambassador, David Stanley BEM, to improve accessibility to the sector for people with disabilities, including children and young people.