Duncan Smith (Dublin Fingal, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I thank all our guests for their contributions and submissions. If this pandemic has one good outcome, it has done a great job in quantifying, in euros, cents, jobs and numbers, how important the arts industry is to us. Many of us experience the industry through people in our families who work in it, but to see the value of it in economic terms, and to present that to a committee such as ours and to have us be able to support that in the July stimulus plan and beyond, is vital.

Many of the issues I wanted to raise have been raised and I do not want to repeat them. Our guests might comment on the potential for a model of long-term funding that would include grant aid, direct payments, charitable donations and tax incentives. Do we yet have such a clear model? Sometimes those methods are not bedfellows. If they interact with one another, I would like to be clear on that so we can support their use as much as possible.

It is clear the wage subsidy scheme and the pandemic unemployment payment will have to be extended for this industry. There are large elements of this industry, similar to that of aviation, that just will not be able to come back as quickly as barbers, hairdressers, restaurants and pubs have done this week. My party and I will support that in writing to the new Minister.

A total of 72% of artists earn less than the national minimum wage and, presumably, an awful lot of them support themselves with a primary or secondary job. Have our guests been able to quantify how many artists will be lost to the industry through this? How many will have to turn their back on the industry, both directly, in the case of artists, and indirectly, through support workers?

I had intended to ask questions about local authorities but I understand that Deputy Gannon will ask them, so I will not overcrowd my contribution with that.