Ms Aideen Howard:

I would be delighted to take that question. As my colleague, Ms Angela Dorgan, mentioned earlier some of the immediate and urgent requirements of the sector would be addressed through the extension of the pandemic unemployment payment for the remainder of the year. The Deputy rightly points out that we need long-term action. Within our submission, we are calling on the Department to build on the great work that has been done for the Arts Council and commit to allocating €30 million for next year to allow the Arts Council and the funded art sector to sustain itself and survive.

In addition, the reform of the tax regime and incentive change that we are looking for would allow arts organisations that are very busy fundraising all the time to try to better address the deficits that they will experience in other sectors of their businesses.

At the same time, we know that local authorities and regional development are equally important to the survival of the sector. This is not just about funding from central Government. The local authorities play a massive role in the local arts scene of all the constituencies represented by the committee members.

In the context of local arts funding in local authority budget lines, whether it is for venues, the arts centres of Letterkenny, Bray, Siamsa, Dún Laoghaire or wherever, we would be very keen that those budget lines are ring-fenced and protected, not just now in 2020 when there is a crisis but right into 2021.

Finally, in the longer term we are looking for the pilot promised in the programme for Government for universal basic income to be expedited and expanded beyond what is promised in order that individual artists and arts workers can consider some viable future. As the Deputy suggests, even when arts organisations like my own can reopen, we will be doing so at a capacity of 15%. This will make matters very difficult to be viable for many months to come.