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

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what financial support is (a) his Department, (b) Arts Council England and (c) other public bodies making available for independent museums during the covid-19 outbreak.

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis officials and ministers have been in even more regular contact to understand the impact of the pandemic and the measures the Government has taken to fight it. And to understand what support museums and heritage organisations need and how best to get it to them.

DCMS arms’ length bodies have created sector specific support. Arts Council England launched a £160 million Emergency Funding Package, the National Lottery Heritage Fund launched the £50 million Heritage Emergency Fund, and Historic England launched a £2 million Emergency Fund. That is over £200 million of emergency support especially for culture and heritage. This emergency short-term funding will help address pressures over the next 3-6 months for those organisations most in immediate need.

Furthermore, the Prime Minister has just announced a £1.57 billion investment to protect Britain’s world-class cultural, arts and heritage institutions. The money, which represents the biggest ever one-off investment in UK culture, will provide a lifeline to vital cultural and heritage organisations across the country hit hard by the pandemic. It will help them stay afloat while their doors are closed.

The Government has also announced unprecedented support for business and workers, to protect them against the current economic emergency. This includes the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and VAT payment deferrals. We know that the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, in particular, has been a lifeline for these sectors. The Chancellor announced further extensions to this scheme, taking it through to October

The Government continues to monitor the impact of these and other measures.