Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

I thank the witnesses. I would like to pay tribute to the National Campaign for the Arts, NCFA, the EPIC working group, the EIAI and all the arts workers and crew who have made their voices heard. It is good that their campaigning has led to an additional €20 million in funding, although it is worth saying that is against a backdrop of historically low levels of support for culture and the arts in this country relative to our European counterparts. EPIC, the NCFA and all in the arts and entertainment sector want to know whether the other asks are being considered and whether they will be recommended to the Government.

These are Government decisions but the key is whether the Department is going to recommend them to it. They want to know if the PUP and the wage subsidy scheme will be retained. Will they get certainty on that, particularly in view of the fact that there is a very strong likelihood that they will not get back to normal levels of activity and employment and income for the foreseeable future? Is Ms Licken going to recommend that those payments be retained for them?

What does Ms Licken make of the long-standing demand - now even more important - that the national broadcaster and other broadcasters be required to produce a minimum percentage of perhaps 40% to 50% of domestic cultural output? This might be music, drama or other forms and it would be a big boost for artists and arts workers.

Workers in the sector also asked about local authority arts budgets. This is not within the Department's remit but, again, it should be recommended to the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government that local authority budgets for the arts and entertainment should be ring-fenced and protected. While there may be an underspend in the context of those streams of funding this year, that should not lead to reductions in them into next year. Does Ms Licken support those demands and will she be recommending them to the Minister? I want a chance to ask another question when I hear the answers, so I ask the witnesses to keep their answers brief enough.