Ms Angela Dorgan:

I will start with the Senator's last question and work back. I might just leave PUP because many people might have questions on that, and it is a very specific aspect that remains important for freelance workers. If members will pardon the pun, this is a gig economy. Specifically, for musicians and the entertainment sector yesterday's budget was really welcome with the €50 million for small venues and larger venues as well as the SME supports. Not just in the response of the Minister, Deputy Catherine Martin, but also in the whole-of-government response to this sector, there are elements that will help those individuals. The housing policy will make paying rent more feasible. Specifically, those in the music sector will benefit from the €50 million for venues because they are aimed at performances and getting event workers, sound engineers, stagehands etc. back to work in the venue.

Separately from that, my company, First Music Contact, is administering the music industry stimulus package for the Department and we have judges looking at a significant number of applications - nearly 1,800 across the three schemes. We have provided money to fund writing camps, recording EPs, singles and albums, and then releasing albums. Normally musicians would use their fees from festivals and other bookings towards those kinds of activities to further their career development. The music industry stimulus package, the Minister, Deputy Martin, announced in July is answering some of those alongside that live element. From my reading of the budget, both of those will also be allowed for in 2021. That will also get to artists and individual events workers in that sector.

Local activity is an interesting one. As the Senator acknowledged, the NCFA represents 54,000 individuals and organisations. Those organisations in their communities had an all-of-community response to the crisis. The arts infrastructure in those communities, including the local arts officers, need to be supported. They need to have local authority funding for the arts protected against difficult times. Some of the decisions in the budget yesterday, including providing money back into the local authorities to replace the lost income from the waived commercial rates will really help with that. It will help individual artists and I am sure it will also help the coffers of local authorities.

The EU directive being signed into law in June is really important. Many musicians and anybody representing their art and copyright digitally now stands to make more income from them, but the EU directive will make that income larger. All the member states have signed up to it. The Government has until June 2021 to sign that into law. That will make a significant difference on a day-to-day basis to the moneys these musicians and artists with copyright can collect from the large tech companies from their music and stuff being online. Again, that drives income.

Performance recording and releasing work stimulates more work. The Arts Council giving funding to organisations to pivot to digital output means that while artists may not be able to do a ticketed event in a venue, they may be able to do some ticketed events behind a paywall. A number of organisations, including mine, have done that recently, the theatre festival and the fringe festival being two other noticeable events in this part of the year.

Local arts activity is very important for the three layers of what matters in the arts. It is the artist, the arts worker and the arts organisation, but it also is the audience. We are often asked what arts are for. The answer is always, "Everything and everyone." I think it was more than demonstrated during the pandemic that, without knowing it, that cog turned in all our minds, reminding us just how valuable the arts are.

It is interesting to note that many artists are returning home. Some people were stuck back in Cork - I think that is the best thing that could happen to someone - and stuck back in their own cities and counties or isolated there. They have stayed there and will recontribute to local activity. However, the arts centre, the venue, the activity, the resource organisation, the choir, the band and other activities that were able to flourish locally need to be supported to remain. The individuals in them through PUP and the organisations which drive that activity and create those opportunities for engagement also need to be funded. It was great to see Creative Ireland get an extra €3 million in yesterday's budget because it has wonderful programmes for community and local engagement for the arts.

I ask the committee to support anything that comes from the task force. I am on the task force on behalf of the NCFA and so unfortunately cannot say much about it because we agreed to that before we entered into it. I am confident that what the NCFA has asked for, as presented to the committee today, will turn up in different parts as well as other needs from the wider sector outside the NCFA, like audiovisual and events. It is really representative. I have been very impressed by the collegiality in that task force and it is well put together. Without commenting on it, because I cannot, I encourage members of the committee to support anything coming out of it.