Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and
Sport (): I am tabling this statement for the
benefit of all members of this House to bring to their attention
the Departmental Minute issued today that provides the House with
notice of a series of small contingent liabilities created by my
Department. This is in relation to a policy to compensate event
organisers participating in phase one of the Events Research
Programme in the event of their cancellation if public health
concerns were to give rise.
The Events Research Programme is running its first phase of 10-15
pilots in April and May to inform decisions around the safe
removal of social distancing at Step 4 of the Roadmap. The pilots
will be run across a range of settings, venues, and activities so
that findings will support the full reopening of similar settings
across multiple sectors.
The government will provide compensation on a discretionary basis
to event organisers should a pilot event be cancelled due to
public health reasons.
This compensation will be capped at £300,000 per event and will
cover costs incurred in relation to participation in the
programme only (e.g. admission of spectators), recognising the
fact that these events would have taken place in line with
roadmap restrictions should the programme not exist. In the case
of the Liverpool events, as these have been put on specifically
as part of the programme, the government will compensate
organisers in full should an event be cancelled, but this will be
capped at £300,000 in total across the Liverpool events.
The government does not intend to cancel any event in the
programme, however public safety comes first and therefore it is
prudent to provide this assurance to the organisers assisting the
government in reopening the economy.
