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

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps he is taking to provide financial support to charities in the orchestral and musical sector in receipt of charitable rate relief affected by the covid-19 outbreak.

On 8th April, the Treasury announced a funding package for charities providing vital services and helping vulnerable people through the current crisis. Unfortunately, not all charitable organisations will be able to benefit from this package. I would encourage organisations to assess whether other schemes provided by the Government will be better suited to their circumstances such as the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and deferring VAT payments.

DCMS has also been working closely with Arts Council England (ACE) to monitor and respond to the challenges being faced by the arts and cultural sectors. On 24 March, Arts Council England announced a £160m emergency response package, made possible by Government funding, to complement the financial measures already announced by Government and ensure immediate resilience of this vital sector. DCMS and Arts Council England will continue to work closely to consider the additional measures that are needed to ensure the long-term recovery and growth of the cultural sector.