Question reference: S6W-00230
- Date lodged: 26 May 2021
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Current status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 11 June 2021
Question
To ask the Scottish Government by what date the second round of the Cultural Organisations and Venue Recovery Fund (COVRF 2), which was announced in March 2021, will be open for applications; when the £40 million allocated to it will be distributed, and what support it will offer to companies and venues that have experienced financial difficulties as a result of any delay.
Answer
The Scottish Government is continuing to work with Creative Scotland to ensure that further rounds of the Culture Organisations and Venues Recovery Fund and the Performing Arts Venues Relief Fund can launch as soon as possible and that awards are made swiftly. The schemes launched on 10 June, with the first payments being made in early July. The Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Economy announced on 2 June that the budget for these funds will be £25 million.
No decisions have yet been made on the allocation of the remainder of the expected £40 million culture consequentials, because this funding has not yet been confirmed fully by the UK Government. However, the Scottish Government is continuing to engage with businesses within the Creative Industries and wider cultural sector, meeting regularly with stakeholders from all parts of the culture sector, to understand their challenges with a view to ensuring that further funding is as effective as possible.
The creative industries, culture and arts sectors have been among some of the hardest hit by the pandemic and will continue to face difficult issues as restrictions ease. The Scottish Government has provided more than £140 million of additional funding for culture and heritage since the start of the pandemic and we are absolutely committed to working with the sector to ensure we deliver a cultural recovery.