Asked by: Justin Madders (Labour - Ellesmere Port and Neston)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of providing sector specific support for those in the wedding and events industry for the remainder of 2021.
Answered by Paul Scully
Over the course of the pandemic the Government has provided an unprecedented package of financial support to businesses, including those in the wedding industry, which we keep under regular review.
Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 24 May 2021 to Question 2176 on events industry: coronavirus, what physical evidence was required of attendees at those events that they had conducted a Lateral Flow Test and were covid-19 negative before they were granted entry to those events.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
Admission of participants to Event Research Programme events—including the FA Cup final—is, and has been, subject to evidence of a negative Lateral Flow Device (LFD) test result for Covid-19, generally carried out in person at an Asymptomatic Test Site (ATS) either on the day, or on the day before, an event.
Following taking a test, participants receive a text or email from NHS Test and Trace which they need to present to staff at each event in order to gain entry. A negative LFD test result, taken within the timeframe specified, is required for entry, and results are validated by the event organisers before ticket-holders are admitted to the venue. Entry is denied to those that cannot provide evidence of a negative test result.
Pre-event communications inform attendees that ID checks can take place upon entry, and spot photo ID checks have taken place to check that names on negative tests match ID.
Event organisers only hold the standard data required for ticket purchasing and processing. The personal data that Government collects includes first name, last name, address, date of birth, postcode, and email address.
Event organisers send a list of all individuals who attend an event to Public Health England (PHE), using secure transfer methods. Attendee information—including an attendee’s self-reported name, date of birth, sex, and full address—is linked to NHS number, and the NHS number is then used to link to a testing dataset; this allows testing data to be obtained for the purposes of the research study conducted by PHE, more details of which can be found on GOV.UK. The aim of this study is to provide evidence on the feasibility of pre-event rapid antigen testing with LFDs in mitigating the risk of Covid-19 transmission amongst spectators, participants, or audiences.
Any positive tests are reported through NHS Test and Trace, with contact tracing undertaken to ascertain details of activity during the day of the event, including travel, seating, and activity at the venue.
Records are not kept of attendees who are denied entry to an event for not providing evidence of a negative test result. The research findings from the first phase of pilots of the Event Research Programme will be published on GOV.UK shortly.
Asked by: Colleen Fletcher (Labour - Coventry North East)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what plans his Department has to support the recovery of the events and exhibition sector in (a) Coventry, (b) the West Midlands and (c) England from the impact of the covid-19 pandemic.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
Business events and exhibitions make a valuable contribution to the UK economy and the Government is committed to supporting the sector’s recovery.
Since 17 May, business events and exhibitions have been able to reopen subject to capacity caps which vary depending on whether the event is indoors or outdoors. The Government has also launched the Events Research Programme which is looking at how best to mitigate transmission risks across cultural, business and sporting event settings.
The Government has continued to support businesses and individuals working in the sector - including through the extension of various government-backed loans, grants and the extended furlough and self-employed support schemes.
Asked by: Owen Thompson (Scottish National Party - Midlothian)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether he plans to make available backdated support to supply chain businesses for the live events sector that have (a) remained formally open during the outbreak of covid-19 and (b) been affected by the cancellation of live events.
Answered by Caroline Dinenage
The Government recognises that the events industry and its supply chain has been severely impacted by COVID-19. We continue to meet with stakeholders, including through the Visitor Economy Working Group and the Tourism Industry Council, to discuss the specific issues facing the industry.
The £1.57 billion Culture Recovery Fund has benefited the sector by providing support to venues and many other cultural organisations, allowing them to stay open and continue operating where COVID restrictions permit. Over £1.2 billion has now been allocated to over 5000 arts and culture organisations across the country. Examples of production service companies that have received CRF funds so far include Adlib Audio Limited (Knowsley), GLS Light and Sound Production Ltd (Southampton) and Lights Control Rigging Productions Ltd (Blackburn).
The Culture Recovery Fund as a whole also included £188 million for the devolved administrations via the Barnett formula, with Scotland receiving £97 million. We know that Scotland are also deeply committed to their arts, culture, and heritage sectors and have provided a range of support funding, building on and including the CRF allocation.
The furlough and loan schemes are part of the government’s wider plan to support, create and protect jobs through its Plan for Jobs. This includes the Kickstart Scheme, more investment in training and skills as well as the Self Employment Income Support Scheme grant, with a fourth grant.
The Government keeps all support and policies under review, and is in close contact with the production services industry to understand what support it needs.
Asked by: Andrea Jenkyns (Conservative - Morley and Outwood)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the Events Research Programme accurately assesses the risk of live events with crowds taking place in summer 2021 as covid-19 restrictions are eased.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
Public safety is our main priority and decisions on the Events Research Programme (ERP) are guided by a Science Board of experts—including senior Public Health England (PHE) representation—who take into account the latest public health data. All ERP pilot events are designed in a scientifically controlled way, and carefully consider ways to reduce the risk of Covid-19 transmission.
The ERP has been developed within a SAGE research framework, in line with the latest PHE and DHSC guidance, including on consent and ethical approval.
The evidence from these pilot events is being used to inform and shape Government policy to bring about the phased return of fuller audiences to venues and events across England.
Asked by: Earl of Clancarty (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government when they will publish (1) the results, and (2) any arising guidance, from the Events Research Programme.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Research findings from the Events Research Programme’s first phase of pilots will be published on GOV.UK shortly.
The Government has committed to taking a cautious approach to easing restrictions, guided by data instead of dates, to avoid another surge in infections that could put unsustainable pressure on the NHS. The roadmap sets out indicative, “no earlier than” dates for each step which are five weeks apart. Each full step of our roadmap will be informed by the latest available science and data and will be five weeks apart in order to provide time to assess the data, providing one week’s notice to businesses and individuals.
Asked by: Baroness Garden of Frognal (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government when they plan to publish the (1) results of, (2) guidance arising from, the Events Research Programme.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Research findings from the Events Research Programme’s first phase of pilots will be published on GOV.UK shortly.
The Government has committed to taking a cautious approach to easing restrictions, guided by data instead of dates, to avoid another surge in infections that could put unsustainable pressure on the NHS. The roadmap sets out indicative, “no earlier than” dates for each step which are five weeks apart. Each full step of our roadmap will be informed by the latest available science and data and will be five weeks apart in order to provide time to assess the data, providing one week’s notice to businesses and individuals.
Asked by: Baroness Garden of Frognal (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to a Government-backed indemnity for live events after the Stage 4 lifting of restrictions in place to address the COVID-19 pandemic.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
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.
Asked by: Julie Elliott (Labour - Sunderland Central)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of (a) the effect of the pilot events under the Events Research Programme on the transmission of covid-19 and (b) the effectiveness and take up of the testing regime required for event attendance.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Events Research Programme is examining risk of transmission of Covid-19 from attendance at events, and exploring ways to enable people to attend a range of events safely.
Our Science Board agreed that admission of participants to our pilot events in April and May was subject to evidence of a negative Lateral Flow Device test result for Covid-19. The ERP will publish its research findings shortly, including independent scientific reports. This research will cover the testing protocol for the pilot events. These reports will feed into decision making on removing restrictions safely ahead of step 4.
Asked by: Julie Elliott (Labour - Sunderland Central)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, when he plans to publish the full findings of the Events Research Programme in respect of the pilot events.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Events Research Programme is examining risk of transmission of Covid-19 from attendance at events, and exploring ways to enable people to attend a range of events safely. The research findings will be published on GOV.UK shortly and will feed into decision making on removing restrictions safely ahead of step 4.