Question reference: S5W-29005
- Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
- Date lodged: 11 May 2020
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Current status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 21 May 2020
Question
To ask the Scottish Government what it estimates the financial loss will be to the arts, culture and tourism sectors as a result of COVID-19.
Answer
Official data on the financial impact of COVID-19 on the arts, culture and tourism sectors are not yet available for Scotland.
The ONS has published initial UK-level data on the impact of COVID-19 by industry through its Business Impact of COVID-19 Survey (BICS). Data for Wave 3 of BICS (covering the period 6 April to 19 April) was published on 7 th May, and includes data on the Accommodation & Food Service sector and the Arts, Education & Recreation sectors. This publication also includes UK level data on responding firms’ trading status, and impacts on their recent turnover.
Data from ONS’s BICS is available at: https://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/economicoutputandproductivity/
output/datasets/businessimpactofcovid19surveybicsresults
Scottish Ministers recognise the exceptional circumstances being experienced by the arts, culture and tourism sectors as a result of COVID-19, and the challenges these have created. We have significant and ongoing engagement with key stakeholders from these sectors including through the Scottish Tourism Emergency Response Group and Creative Scotland’s Covid-19 response group which has been key in identifying and addressing many of the challenges for businesses, employees and the self-employed. We have put in place a substantial package of support to address this, which includes the Creative, Tourism and Hospitality Enterprises Hardship Fund, and the Pivotal Enterprise Resilience Fund. Creative Scotland is providing an expected total budget of £14 million of support in response to the COVID-19 situation including the Bridging Bursary Fund for freelance creative professionals; the repurposed Open Project fund to help practitioners adapt and respond to the current changing circumstances; and one-off bursaries to film and TV sector workers.