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

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care's Oral Statement on 6 December 2021 on Covid-19 Update, Official Report, columns 56-58, if sector-specific support will be made available to the travel and tourism sector affected by the introduction of covid-19 travel restrictions.

The Government has put in place a measured and proportionate set of restrictions to continue to support the tourism sector and slow the spread of the new Omicron variant. To support businesses through this next phase, the ‘Working Safely’ guidance will continue to provide advice on sensible precautions employers can take to manage risk and support their staff and customers.

In other tourism sectors, such as hospitality, the guidance says that businesses are exempt from enforcing customers to wear masks and this assessment has been made from a practical point of view as the nature of hospitality visits is to eat and drink.

The Government has continued to provide support to the tourism sector throughout the pandemic. The latest budget announcement included a new temporary business rates relief for over 90% of eligible retail, hospitality and leisure businesses in England which will cut at least 50% off their business rates bills during the 2022-23 period which is worth almost £1.7 billion.

The arts and culture sector can still access support from the £2 billion Culture Recovery Fund and Sports Recovery Package, the Film and TV Production Restart Scheme in place until 30 April 2022. While the £800m Live Events Reinsurance Scheme is giving events across the country the confidence needed for organisers to plan for the future.

The Health Secretary was clear these new COVID-19 measures are temporary, the government will keep these measures under review and set out detail shortly.