Ms Angela Dorgan:

I am loving the Murphia. In terms of detail, the Department got €25 million and €20 million of this was given to the Arts Council. There are comprehensive details on how the Arts Council plans to spend the funding in the Survive Adapt Renew document.

I sat on the committee that prepared that document. The genesis behind it was to get it out to the sector as quickly and efficiently as possible. My organisation is part funded and a client of the Arts Council. It has already written to ask us to put back in our budget for the end of the year in order that it can identify whether, as a resource organisation, we will need support. It has done so with many other resource organisations, venues, theatre companies and arts centres. From €9.2 million to €9.3 million of that funding will be given directly to artists through a suite of bursaries. The detail of the Arts Council’s proposal examines broadening the range of persons whom funding can reach. Artists will not have to be already in receipt of funding as new bursaries will be made available. Some of the bursaries will speak to where artists have gone during Covid, such as bursaries for organisations and individuals to adapt to working online.

My colleague, Ms Howard, is better placed than me to answer the question on taxation. That said, I think some of the work being done by Benefacts will be of significant benefit to the sector in the context of how taxation, including VAT and such matters, will work for the SMEs and arts organisations in the sector.