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

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment have they made of providing an indemnity for live music events following the Step 4 lifting of COVID-19 restrictions; and whether they will place the results of any such assessment in the Library of the House.

This Government recognises the importance of the UK’s live events sector and has provided significant financial support to cultural organisations, particularly through the Culture Recovery Fund.

As the Secretary of State made clear at the DCMS Select Committee on Thursday 13th May, the government is aware of the wider concerns around securing indemnity for live events and we continue to assess options to provide further support to the sector within the public health context, engaging with relevant stakeholders as necessary.

We need to be confident that any intervention would lead to an increase in activity, and that insurance represents the last barrier to events reopening. The government’s first priority is to remove remaining barriers (such as social distancing) by reaching Stage 4 of the Roadmap.