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

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if she will extend the support available to the events and exhibition industry due to the ongoing impact of the covid-19 outbreak on that sector.

The government recognises the important contribution that events and exhibitions make to the UK’s culture and economy, and the significant challenges the COVID-19 pandemic has presented. We have engaged closely with the sectors affected and listened to their concerns throughout the pandemic. We continue to engage with Her Majesty's Treasury to ensure that support for the events sector remains a focus.

This government has provided significant financial support throughout the pandemic including extending the £1.57 billion package of support for the Culture Recovery Fund with £300 million of additional funding for 21/22, the biggest arts funding package in history. To date, over £1.2 billion has been allocated from the £2 billion Fund, reaching over 5,000 individual organisations and sites.

We would encourage businesses in the events sector to review the initiatives in the government’s support package. Information on the government’s support for businesses and employees can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus/business-support.