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Select Committee · Public Accounts Committee

DCMS management of COVID-19 loans

Status: Closed Opened: 31 Oct 2024 Closed: 16 Jun 2025 1 recommendation 24 conclusions 1 report

The COVID-19 pandemic placed enormous strain on the arts and sports sector, as many organisations were forced to close for prolonged periods. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) provided around £2.6 billion of support for organisations from 2020-22. A proportion of this support, £474 million, was provided in the form of loans repayable …

Clear

Reports

1 report
Title HC No. Published Items Response
20th Report - DCMS management of COVID-19 loans HC 364 2 Apr 2025 25 Responded

Recommendations & Conclusions

3 items
6 Conclusion 20th Report - DCMS management of COVID-… Rejected

Consider alternative arrangements to fill accountability gap for rugby union loans.

Owing to a conflict of interest, the Department has allowed a gap to arise in accountability to Parliament for a significant amount of public money relating to the loans it made to rugby union. Since her appointment as Permanent Secretary in 2023, the Department’s Accounting Officer has had a conflict …

Government response. The government disagrees with the recommendation, stating that accountability is best achieved by delegating Accounting Officer decisions for Rugby Union to a Director General within DCMS. The Director General for Strategy and Major Events has been appointed as Additional Accounting …
HM Treasury
24 Conclusion 20th Report - DCMS management of COVID-… Rejected

Department established arrangements to manage Accounting Officer's conflict of interest in rugby union matters.

Since her appointment as Permanent Secretary in June 2023, the Department’s Accounting Officer has had a declared conflict of interest regarding rugby union.63 The Department told us that it has put in place arrangements to handle this conflict whereby its Director General for Policy is responsible for decisions and advice …

Government response. The government disagrees with the committee's recommendation and believes accountability is best achieved by having a Director General within the department as an Additional Accounting Officer, rather than a Permanent Secretary from another department.
HM Treasury
25 Conclusion 20th Report - DCMS management of COVID-… Rejected

Conflict of interest prevented direct questioning on Department's substantial rugby loans and financial exposure.

The conflict of interest meant that we could not question the Permanent Secretary directly about the £124 million that the Department had loaned to top–tier rugby union clubs and its subsequent management of these loans. Instead, we had to direct our questions to the Director General for Policy.65 Professional rugby …

Government response. The government disagrees with the Committee’s recommendation and believes that accountability is best achieved by having a Director General within the department as an Additional Accounting Officer.
HM Treasury

Oral evidence sessions

1 session
Date Witnesses
10 Feb 2025 Gareth Davies · National Audit Office, Gareth Davies · Department for Transport, Max Tse · National Audit Office, Nicola Hewer · Department for Culture, Media and Sport, Polly Payne · Department for Culture, Media and Sport, Rebecca Sheeran · National Audit Office, Susannah Storey · Department for Culture, Media and Sport View ↗

Correspondence

6 letters
DateDirectionTitle
12 Mar 2026 To cttee Letter from the Permanent Secretary at the Department for Culture, Media and Sp…
2 Apr 2025 From cttee Letter to the Permanent Secretary of DCMS relating to PAC report: DCMS manageme…
2 Apr 2025 To cttee Letter from the Permanent Secretary of DCMS relating to PAC report: DCMS manage…
27 Mar 2025 To cttee Letter from the Director General for Policy at the Department for Culture, Medi…
11 Feb 2025 To cttee Letter from the Permanent Secretary of the HM Treasury relating to the Local au…
11 Feb 2025 To cttee Letter from the Permanent Secretary for the Department for Culture, Media and S…