Steven Matthews (Wicklow, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I understand the difficulties the arts are facing and the devastation that this pandemic has brought upon the arts sector. I understood the difficulties the sector was facing before Covid-19 as well, as I had served as a director on Wicklow’s Mermaid Arts Centre. I know the amount of work that goes into organising, applying for funding, attracting and supporting artists and the outreach programmes that are organised to give people access to the arts who might never have access to them and the benefit which that brings. I know of the disappointment when a show or performance does not go well and the joy when it does. I also have experience working in event production and know of the huge skill set that exists across that behind-the-scenes sector the witnesses referenced earlier on, in terms of lighting, sound, power, construction, set design and that range of support industries. It is huge and brings great benefit and joy to many people.

My worry, which has been referred to by the witnesses, is that if a full season of work is lost, the seasonal partnerships and relationships that exist across the sector will be broken up. These are relationships that have been built up over years, whereby people know how to work well together. Were they to be lost, it would have a massive impact as we try to reboot and grow the arts sector again.

The Event Industry Association of Ireland submission stated that up to half of the businesses in that industry may not survive 2020. Does that indicate that there are certain sectors or places within the arts sector towards which we need to direct funding more urgently than other sectors? The issue of funding has been covered quite considerably in the submissions but one thing I always found was the inconsistency in funding. It was one of the biggest issues that artists faced with short timelines to apply for funding or that it would change from year to year. This would benefit the arts sector greatly as we move out of this period.