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

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what statistics his Department holds on trends in the number of people who work full time as writers; and if he will take steps to encourage people to pursue careers as writers.

The Office for National Statistics regularly publishes information on the numbers of people working in different occupations in the United Kingdom. The most recent update shows that, between April and June 2014, the number of ‘authors, writers and translators’ working full-time was 47,000. Arts Council England funds organisations nationwide including National Portfolio Organisations offering high quality creative and professional training to writers, particularly aimed at emerging talent and funds and supports individual writers/literature via the Grants for the Arts funding scheme.