Arts: Coronavirus

(asked on 4th May 2020) - View Source

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport what estimate his Department has made of the proportion of businesses in the creative sector with a turnover of less than £6.5 million that do not qualify for the (a) Small Business Grant, (b) Retailers, Hospitality and Leisure Grant and (c) Business Rate holiday.


Answered by
Caroline Dinenage Portrait
Caroline Dinenage
This question was answered on 11th May 2020

No such estimate has been made. However, we appreciate that the Covid-19 pandemic presents a significant challenge to many of DCMS’ sectors including the Creative Industries which is why the government has announced unprecedented support for business and workers to protect them against the current economic emergency. This includes new discretionary business grants worth £600m, in addition to any surplus from previous grants that councils have left over, which councils can allocate to businesses that may not have been able to qualify for the initial round of grants.

To ensure we are assisting the sectors as effectively as possible, regular ministerially-chaired roundtables are held with business representative organisations as well as trade associations from across the Creative Industries. In addition, officials are in regular contact with stakeholders from these sectors, and we continue to speak with HM Treasury colleagues to ensure that the full spectrum of government support reaches the UK's world-leading media and Creative Industries.

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