Select committee: Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee
Recommendation 21
Third Report - Impact of COVID-19 on DCMS sectors: First Report
Published 23 Jul 2020
Paragraph 88
Addressed to Department for Culture, Media and Sport
Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee Impact of Covid-19 on DCMS sectors All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Recommendation (the committee's words)
International tourism to the UK had halved by April 2020 and has continued to decline. Visitor attractions, including museums and galleries, are being hit hard as a result. Not only are these organisations facing an end to the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme in October, they have also largely depleted their financial reserves and are looking at the prospect of only being able to open at a reduced capacity with social distancing measures in place. Losing these important spaces, and the valuable collections they hold, would be a significant loss to our cultural identity. To secure collections at risk from museum insolvencies, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport should introduce a temporary change to legislation to ensure that if an accredited museum becomes insolvent as a result of the Covid-19 crisis, the institution’s collections cannot be liquidated for financial assets for the first 12 months.
From: Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee, Third Report - Impact of COVID-19 on DCMS sectors: First Report (HC 291), paragraph 88, 23 July 2020
Government response
The government responded to the whole report on 14 October 2020 (deadline 23 September 2020).
Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.The government's response sets out support already provided across DCMS sectors, agrees with the recommendation for a national domestic tourism campaign, and on several other recommendations says it is considering options, working with the sector, or would need further evidence.
- On tax reliefs for theatre and music, the government says it "keeps all tax reliefs under review" and that HM Treasury "would need to assess" any new relief for effectiveness, cost to the Exchequer, wider economic impacts and ability to stand up to abuse.
- On extending the furlough scheme for the creative industries, it states that "there will be no further extensions or changes to the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme", which closes at the end of October, and points to a new Job Support Scheme from 1 November.
- On museum insolvency, the government says it is "looking at legislative, and non-legislative, options" to prevent the dispersal of collections.
- On a 'Creators Council', it says it "would need a clear steer from the sector" and "robust evidence" of a gap in what the existing Creative Industries Council delivers, if the sector wishes it to consider the proposal.