Asked by: Steve Baker (Conservative - Wycombe)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent financial provisions he has made, following the implementation of covid-19 Plan B, for businesses within the live events sector.
Answered by Simon Clarke
For businesses within the live events sector, the Live Events Reinsurance Scheme supports events that the general public are able to purchase tickets to - such as music festivals, sporting and business events - that are at risk of being halted or delayed due to an inability to obtain COVID-19 cancellation insurance. Over £800 million in cover will be available to purchase alongside standard commercial events insurance for an additional premium. Cover is being bought by events across the UK. This intervention supports the UK’s economic recovery from the COVID-19 crisis by giving events across the country the confidence they need to plan for the future.
This is a world-leading insurance scheme, backed by a number of prominent insurers in the Lloyd’s market, including Arch, Beazley, Dale, Hiscox and Munich Re, with few countries offering this kind of cover. It builds on our existing offering of support to the industry, including the £500 million Film and TV Production Restart scheme.
The government announced last month that it is making available an additional £30m through the nearly £2 billion Culture Recovery Fund (CRF) to increase the Emergency Resource Support currently available for cultural organisations to apply for. So far more than £1.5 billion has been allocated to around 5,000 individual organisations and sites through the CRF including theatres, orchestras, dance and music venues, supporting live events and performance.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will require face masks to be worn in all indoor venues, including shops and on transport, in response to the high covid-19 infection rates.
Answered by Maggie Throup
On 10 December, face coverings were made a legal requirement in most indoor public places, including cinemas, theatres and places of worship in addition to the existing rules for shops and public transport, including taxis. Face coverings are not required in hospitality settings such as cafes, restaurants and pubs or in nightclubs and other night-time dance venues. Face coverings will also not be required in fitness settings and when people are exercising.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for what reason it is Government policy for people to work from home where possible, but not be required to wear a face covering in a pub or other hospitality venue.
Answered by Maggie Throup
The Government is committed to a balanced and proportionate response to tackling COVID-19, including the Omicron variant. ‘Plan B’ prioritises measures which can help control transmission of the virus, while seeking to minimise economic and social impacts.
The Scientific Advisory Group on Emergencies has advised that the Plan B measures are likely to have a beneficial impact on reducing community transmission and that working from home in particular could have the largest impact on transmission.
Face coverings are not required in hospitality venues as it is impractical to remove face coverings whilst eating or drinking. Face coverings are not required in nightclubs and other night-time dance venues because it is not recommended to wear them while exercising or during strenuous physical activity.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for what reason face masks are not required in all indoor spaces.
Answered by Maggie Throup
Face coverings are not required in hospitality venues as it is not practical to remove them whilst eating or drinking. Face coverings are not required in nightclubs and other night-time dance venues as it is not recommended to wear them while exercising or during strenuous physical activity, which includes dancing. For the same reason, people are not required to wear face coverings in an indoor premises or part of a premises, that is being used wholly or mainly by people who are either eating, drinking or exercising.
Asked by: Wes Streeting (Labour - Ilford North)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans he has to use his Department’s covid-19 recovery funding to increase participation in dance in schools.
Answered by Robin Walker
In addition to the department’s ambitious wider spending review settlement for schools and 16-19 settings; since June 2020 nearly £5 billion in education recovery funding to support children and young people recover from the COVID-19 outbreak has been announced. The department’s recovery programmes allow early years, school and college leaders to support those pupils most in need to help them catch-up. This includes the catch-up premium in the 2020/21 academic year and the recovery premium in the 2021/22 academic year. Using evidenced based interventions, this funding can also be used to tackle non-academic barriers to success in school, such as enrichment activities like arts and sport.
The department has also committed £200 million for secondary schools to deliver face-to-face summer schools in summer 2021, giving secondary pupils access to enrichment activities, such as games, music, drama and sports that they have missed out on over the COVID-19 outbreak. Almost 2,800 secondary schools across England signed up to host a summer school, this will have helped to support physical and mental health and wellbeing.
The government is committed to high-quality education for all pupils, and integral to this are the arts and music. The department provides significant funding for a range of cultural education programmes, including music, which schools can access – over £620 million between 2016 to 2021, additional to core school budgets. We confirmed £80 million funding for this financial year, 2021-22, for music programmes; and we continue to provide just over £4 million for a set of tailored arts programmes. We will continue to invest around £115 million per annum in cultural education over the next three years, though our music, arts and heritage programmes, working closely with the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, Arts Council England and others.
Alongside this, schools have continued to receive their core funding throughout the COVID-19 outbreak. The recent spending review announced that core funding for schools will rise by a further £4.7 billion by 2024-25, compared to previous plans, this builds on the largest school funding increase in a decade at the 2019 spending round.
Collectively, this will support schools to deliver a broad and ambitious curriculum and enrichment activities.
Asked by: Steve Baker (Conservative - Wycombe)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment his Department has made of the cost-effectiveness of the Music and Dance Scheme; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Robin Walker
The department has a long-term commitment to ensuring that high-quality dance and music education is not the preserve of the elite, but the entitlement of every single child.
The Music and Dance Scheme (MDS) allows exceptionally talented children to attend specialist music and dance education providers. The scheme provides bursaries and grants totalling around £30 million per annum to children and young people with exceptional potential, regardless of their personal circumstances, to benefit from world-class specialist music or dance training.
The department regularly assesses the effectiveness and cost effectiveness of all programmes, including the MDS. The department is working with MDS providers to improve the information collected from them each year, so future assessments can be improved.
Following the Spending Review, the department will continue to invest around £115 million per annum in cultural education over the next three years, though our music, arts and heritage programmes, and this includes the Music and Dance Scheme.
Asked by: Giles Watling (Conservative - Clacton)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans he has to introduce an arts premium following the conclusion of the Spending Review 2021.
Answered by Robin Walker
The government is committed to high-quality education for all pupils, and arts and music are integral to this. With the significant impact of COVID-19 on children’s learning, the department’s priorities have inevitably had to focus on education recovery over the next 3 years.
The department will continue to invest around £115 million per annum in cultural education over the next three years, through our music, arts and heritage programmes. This includes Music Education Hubs, the Music and Dance Scheme, British Film Academy, the Bridge organisations, and working closely with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, the Arts Council England and others.
With the real terms per pupil increases to core school funding and the additional £1 billion new funding announced specifically for recovery, schools will continue to have the flexibility to deliver a broad and ambitious curriculum and enrichment activities, including in the arts.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent progress his Department has made on tackling loneliness following the Let’s Talk Loneliness campaign and the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Department’s response to the COVID-19 recognised the importance of social connection, and we are continuing to build on this as part of our strategy to tackle loneliness.
In addition to providing over £34 million to charities tackling loneliness through the £750 million Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) funding package, over recent months we have continued to deliver the £4 million Local Connections Fund. This funding is being delivered in partnership with the National Lottery Community Fund, and so far we have awarded over 1,300 microgrants to charities and community groups that help people to connect via the things they enjoy. For example, we’ve supported songwriting workshops in Devon, dance classes in Bedfordshire, and online chat services in Durham.
In September, we launched the Loneliness Engagement Fund to provide small grants to organisations that can reach the groups in England most affected by loneliness during COVID-19. Funding will be provided to support communications and engagement activity that will help reduce feelings of stigma, and encourage people to take steps to help themselves and others. We will inform organisations who have been successful in applying for funding in early November.
We are also preparing to deliver winter loneliness campaign activity as part of the Better Health: Every Mind Matters campaign. Building on the success of the Let’s Talk Loneliness campaign, we will be reminding people that it is OK to feel lonely, and providing advice on how people can help themselves and others to tackle loneliness.
We continue to support organisations across sectors to take action on loneliness through our Tackling Loneliness Network. This year, we set up a digital platform to support members of the Network to connect and share resources and best practice. We are also working closely with stakeholders and experts through our new Social Connection Funders Group, and our Loneliness Evidence Group.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent progress he has made on delivering the Loneliness Strategy.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
Over the last eighteen months, the government has continued to take action in line with the loneliness strategy, including through delivering a response to COVID-19 that recognises the value of social connection.
We have invested over £34 million in charities focused on reducing loneliness and a further £50 million to organisations supporting people with their mental health. This is part of the government's unprecedented £750 million package of support for the sector during the pandemic, which has benefited over 14,000 charities.
We also set up the £4 million Local Connections Fund in partnership with the National Lottery Community Fund. Through the Local Connections Fund, we have awarded over 1,300 microgrants to charities and community groups that help people to connect via the things they enjoy. For example, we’ve supported songwriting workshops in Devon, dance classes in Bedfordshire, and online chat services in Durham.
We established the Tackling Loneliness Network, bringing together over 80 organisations across the public, private and voluntary sectors to share expertise and develop innovative ways to tackle loneliness. The Tackling Loneliness Network Action Plan was published in May 2021 and sets out actions that government and Network members are taking to support social connection in response to COVID-19. A copy of this report will be placed in the Libraries of the House and is available online at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/emerging-together-the-tackling-loneliness-network-action-plan
We have continued to share practical tips and signpost support through the ‘Let’s Talk Loneliness’ campaign. During Loneliness Awareness Week in June this year, our campaign activity reached over 21 million people, including through partnerships with TikTok, BT, Royal Mail and Electronic Arts.
The government publishes a report on its work on loneliness every year. The latest was published in January 2021 and is available online at: [https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/loneliness-annual-report-the-second-year/loneliness-annual-report-january-2021 ] The next report will be published in early 2022.
Asked by: Diana Johnson (Labour - Kingston upon Hull North)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether the arts premium for secondary schools will be included in the upcoming Spending Review.
Answered by Nick Gibb
Due to the focus on new priorities as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak, the arts premium is now subject to this year’s Spending Review.
Between 2016 and 2021, the Department has spent over £620 million on a diverse range of music and cultural education programmes. This includes Music Education Hubs, the Music and Dance Scheme and cultural education programmes such as Saturday art and design clubs, the National Youth Dance Company, and the British Film Institute’s Film Academy programme.