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

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if his Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of providing financial support packages for (a) music, (b) arts and (c) other festivals as a result of the covid-19 outbreak.

We appreciate that the Covid-19 pandemic presents a significant challenge to many of DCMS’ sectors including the arts, music and other festivals, which is why the government has announced unprecedented support for business and workers to protect them against the current economic emergency.

DCMS is engaging with a range of departments to support the economic response, and ensuring that the needs of its sectors, and those who work in them, are fully understood. DCMS will continue to work with these valuable sectors to understand the difficulties they face and help them access support through these challenging times and through recovery.