Arts: Coronavirus

(asked on 23rd September 2020) - View Source

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate he has made of the number of workers who have left the theatre, arts and creative sectors as a result of the effects of the covid-19 outbreak on those sectors; and what steps his Department is taking to help mitigate future skills and labour shortages in those sectors.


Answered by
Caroline Dinenage Portrait
Caroline Dinenage
This question was answered on 30th September 2020

The Government recognises the massive impact that the current pandemic is having on those working in the arts and cultural sectors. As a result of the grants and loans being made available through the £1.57bn Cultural Recovery Fund, organisations will be more able to resume cultural activity, albeit in a socially distanced way, which will increase employment opportunities. Each organisation that receives money will know how best to support their workforce.

To complement the Cultural Recovery Fund funding for organisations made available by Government, Arts Council England have announced £95m of additional support for individuals, including freelancers. This includes an additional £75m in project grants which will be focused on applications that maximise employment opportunities including those from under-represented groups.

Reticulating Splines