Member

Amendment 287 would require the Secretary of State to produce a formal impact assessment on arts and cultural organisations within 12 months of the Act’s commencement. In essence, it would force government to explicitly evaluate how the new rights affected the sector. Given all we have discussed, this seems a common-sense check. For example, Creative UK found that 66% of creative freelancers lost work during Covid-19, and only 4% believed safety-net benefits could meet their basic needs. Those sobering numbers underline that creative workers are vulnerable to shocks. An explicit impact assessment would ensure that we did not inadvertently repeat such crises by rolling out reforms too rigidly. In practice, this could link up with Amendment 288. The impact assessment could examine whether additional funding—tax relief, levies, et cetera—was needed to meet the new duties. It is simply prudent risk management—exactly the kind of rule we expect for major new legislation.