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

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent discussions his Department has had with cultural organisations on their potential role in supporting vulnerable adults (a) during and (b) after the covid-19 outbreak.

This department continues to emphasise the important role arts and culture plays in health and wellbeing. I am keen that the sector reopens as soon as it is safe to do so, and this is in part to ensure that as many people as possible have the opportunity to engage with and participate in cultural activities, which we know has significant health and wellbeing benefits.

My officials, together with DCMS arms length bodies, have spoken to over fifty organisations in the last two weeks to better understand what specific programmes they offer, and are looking to offer, with the aim of supporting social outcomes such as supporting vulnerable adults. For example, a number of library services across the country have been systematically ringing all their vulnerable users to ensure they are OK and to maintain some form of friendly human contact.