The Government has today refused to publish the results of the
Events Research Programme so that businesses and events can plan
how they might be able to get up and running again.
Asked again to publish the report by Labour today, Sports
Minister said: “Although we are not yet in a position to
publish the full report I can assure the House that post event
data is closely monitored and has not shown any evidence of the
events causing outbreaks.”
Despite the Government saying that the data would go to the Prime
Minister to inform his decision on extending lockdown, the
government has refused deliver on their promise and publish the
report.
This comes as the organisers of the festival Kendal Calling
announced that their event would be cancelled due to lack of data
and safety guidance from the Government.
, Labour's Shadow Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
Secretary, in an Urgent Question in the House of
Commons, said:
"Organisations involved in the Programme have told me that a
report with good results was produced by DCMS. They weren’t
allowed to see it through.
"They also tell me that Number 10 refused to allow the report to
be published last week because it didn’t fit their communications
grid.”
The Shadow DCMS Secretary went on to ask:
“Did Number 10 block publication of the results report? What
evidence is the Government is using to make decisions about pilot
events? Why are some organisations getting the go ahead to be
test events and not others?"
Ends
Full text of the statement
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and
Sport, if he will make a statement on the results of the Events
Research Programme
Thank you, Mr Speaker for granting this urgent question.
The terms of reference for the Events Research Programme were
published on 22nd February. Four months on, no results have been
published.
Last month, the Secretary of State said in a newspaper interview
that 15 of 15,800 ERP participants tested positive for Covid.
But still no results published.
And I’m afraid there was nothing in the Minister’s response just
now to explain the failure to publish the results.
What’s the secret? Why won’t the Government tell the public,
industry and this House what the results are?
All those who have spent time and money organising and holding
test events and those relying on this Programme, want to see the
results.
They wanted to see them in real time or at the very least, at
regular intervals over the past four months.
How on earth can the industry plan for the summer in the absence
of results?
And how are the public to understand the Government’s plan for
the sector?
Organisations involved in the Programme have told me that a
report with good results was produced by DCMS. They weren’t
allowed to see it though.
They also tell me that Number 10 refused to allow the report to
be published last week because it didn’t fit their communications
grid.
Did Number 10 block publication of the results report?
What evidence is the Government is using to make decisions about
pilot events?
Why are some organisations getting the go ahead to be test events
and not others?
Webber rejected
the Government’s offer to include his Cinderella production in
the ERP because the rest of the industry were not being treated
equally.
So do companies need to have the Prime Minister’s mobile number
to be a test event?
Yesterday, Cumbrian festival Kendal Calling announced
cancellation of this year’s event because they were refused as a
participant in the third phase of the ERP.
When was the third phase of the ERP established?
What are its terms of reference?
On 4th June, the Scientific Board made a statement suggesting
that the ERP terms of reference were not sufficient to lead to
satisfying conclusions - why was this statement made and what had
changed from 22nd February?
Under what criteria was Wimbledon accepted as a pilot - and when
that was agreed?
Will there be a 4th stage of the ERP if restrictions remain in
place for the sector beyond the 19th July?
And will he publish the ERP results report today?
