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

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether his Department plans to take to further steps to support the live entertainment industry during the covid-19 outbreak.

• The Government recognises that the pandemic presents a significant challenge to the live entertainment industry.

• We have provided a major £1.57 billion support package for key cultural organisations to help them stay open. The Cultural Recovery Fund is devolved. Northern Ireland received £33 million from the Fund under the Barnett formula.

• In England, we have supported 135 grassroots music venues at the risk of imminent closure through £3.36m of emergency funding from the £1.57bn Fund.

• The Government has also provided unprecedented financial assistance worth over £100billion, which many organisations in the live entertainment sector have been able to access. This financial support includes a years' business rates holiday, a reduction in VAT for concert tickets from 20% to 5% for 6 months, and the Bounce Back Loans scheme.

• The Chancellor has announced the Winter Economy Plan to protect jobs and support businesses over the coming months, once the existing Self-Employed Income Support Scheme and Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme come to end.

• On rent liabilities, the Government has extended temporary tenant protections, meaning businesses, including those in the live entertainment sector, will be protected from the threat of eviction until the end of the year, providing commercial tenants with greater security and protecting vital jobs.

• We will continue to work with the sector to find other ways to provide support.