Ms Angela Dorgan:

Directly speaking to the Arts Council's €20 million, I sat on the advisory committee on behalf of the National Campaign for the Arts. I refer to how that €20 million breaks down, which takes me back to Deputy Brophy's question on how we will continue.

A big chunk of that funding from the €20 million will go directly to artists to make work to present, and I mean festivals, stages and people who work in theatres. It is very important that there is artists' work to present. The Arts Council has ring-fenced €9.2 million for individual artists, writers, theatre makers and musicians, which is welcome. There is a substantial fund to help arts organisations to adapt to an online world. There is also an ask that the Government work with the European Commission on Article 13 to provide fairer pay to artists for online work because that is where a lot of them are being driven to make a living. There is a European-wide campaign that Ireland has contributed to and there are activities like that, which can help. A substantial other fund from the Arts Council will be spent on helping local arts centres and venues to adapt to Covid as we start to come back.

To reply to Deputy Brophy, EPIC, and I am sure Ms O'Connor, would agree we are the sector that will coax everybody out. Our sector kept everybody company when they were in isolation during Covid. It is up to us and the skills in the entire sector, which we cannot afford to lose, to coax people out so that a return to normal happens quicker.