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

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps he is taking to ensure that diversity is prioritised in support for (a) organisations and (b) people working in the arts and creative industries.

The Government’s aim is to see cultural and creative sectors that are strong, vibrant and inclusive, and this can only be achieved through a diverse and representative workforce. We recognise there is still much to be done to improve diversity and inclusion across the arts and creative industries, and are working with industry and sector bodies - including the BFI, Arts Council England and the Creative Industries Council - on a range of measures to ensure the sector better reflects the diversity of the UK through the current pandemic and beyond.

Throughout the Covid-19 outbreak, DCMS ministers and officials have been regularly engaging with stakeholders across the cultural and creative industries to ensure that their issues are fully understood in government. As part of this engagement, we have spoken with a number of organisations and individuals that are representative of the diverse nature of the nation, including at a roundtable I hosted which specifically examined the impact of Covid-19 on diversity in these sectors.