Speeches by Burton-Sampson.

“You have both highlighted perfectly that you are focused on improving safety and working conditions, which is good.”

“Do you want to share a little more on what you are doing to improve safety and working conditions?”

“Lu, what are the key aims of CRAFT?”

“Both organisations are doing amazing stuff but how will you increase awareness of what you are doing to the industry so that people know that you exist and can use your services?”

“What barriers do you think there are to not only having national bodies for the live comedy sector but raising awareness of them? It is quite interesting that one of the witnesses in our last evidence session was not aware that the LCA and CRAFT existed.”

“I am aware of the Live Comedy Association and CRAFT—I know that CRAFT is quite new. What involvement do you think national bodies like that could play, and do you think they will be beneficial?”

“Equity does not really focus on comedy, does it? It only has an element of focus on comedians.”

“We have heard that Equity—I know because I used to be an Equity member—is much more focused on actors, but what work does it undertake with the comedy sector? How many comedians are part of the organisation?”

“Obviously the majority of actors are members of Equity. We hear that comedians’ pay is very low. Is the cost of joining Equity a restriction?”

“Kelly, you mentioned national bodies. It is interesting because the comedy sector is quite disparate; it seems that there is a lack of regulations and controls. Would you both like to see greater co-ordination or oversight of your sector?”

“I want to make one comment before we move on. Clearly, both organisations are doing some great stuff. It seems that this is a very isolated industry and you need to think more about how you can expand awareness. Maybe that is something to take away.”

“Lu and Jessica, I want to talk a little about the LCA and CRAFT. Jessica, what are the key aims of your organisation as a national comedy body?”

“Thank you all for being here. I am going to go to Kristen first, if I may. We know that female investors are twice as likely to back female entrepreneurs. What is the British Business Bank doing to ensure that women are part of those decision-making structures in venture capital?”

“Following up with you, Minister McDougall, your predecessor told us that requiring businesses to sign up to the code would be inappropriate as compliance cannot be tracked. Is this still an issue, and if so, what progress is being made to address that?”

“Coming from a financial services background, I totally understand the need to reduce regulatory burden, but that is reducing regulatory burden in areas where things are working as they should be. In this area, it is not working because we are not getting finance to women who need it. Is that not a call to perhaps incre…”

“You mentioned earlier about investment committees and you talked about how 16% have women. Is that correct?”

“Is there a gender balance within the bank’s investment committees?”

“What impact would it have if investors accessing bank support were required to be a signatory to the Investing in Women Code?”

“Why are you not doing it?”

“Great. Is there anything else that you are doing?”