Ms Birch Hamilton:

As my colleagues have pointed out, there are many opportunities to support artists, involving different Government Departments. The Minister's new policy is very welcome, but at present we feel that it is short of practical proposals. There is a gap between the aspirations of the document and the reality of supporting individual creators. Artists are also innovators, storytellers, leaders and entrepreneurs. If content and the arts are at the heart of a new digital culture, then it follows that artists really are its lifeblood. The Association of Artists' Representative Organisations, AARO, is calling for a cohesive vision to take control of this agenda. AARO supports the calls for restoration of at least the level of funding for arts that prevailed before the recession. However, with regard to artists' incomes, we believe that significant improvements can be made through legislative and policy initiatives that are not completely dependent upon significant increases in State funding for the arts. AARO is calling for a cohesive initiative that would work collectively with other Government Departments to introduce a status of the artist Bill. This legislation would ensure that artists are in the best position to increase their incomes, including global income, and increase the sustainability of artists working in Ireland, which would also result in a return to the Exchequer. We ask the committee to request that the Minister support the introduction of legislation that would bring together the issues that AARO has raised today.