Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

The aim of the pilot live performance support scheme is to assist commercial venues, producers and promoters of live performance to provide employment to the workers in the creative industries. That is the very reason we designed it. The pilot scheme, with funding of €5 million, is to inform us on how we will then do the next one, for which I secured €50 million in the budget. The main objective of the scheme is to provide employment opportunities in the ticketed performance sector, allow commercial organisers of live performance to commence preparations immediately and for productions to go ahead in the near future while also complying with public health protection measures.

The Senator asked about eligibility for the scheme. To be eligible for the scheme, a promoter is required to have a proven track record of live performances undertaken in the past three years; a plan to hold a live performance event that will commence in 2020; provide three years of financial accounts; be tax compliant; not ordinarily in receipt of funding from the public sector but provide evidence of matched funding required at this stage. This pilot scheme was the first of its kind. It was developed following close consultation with the sector and it will inform future similar schemes. In helping these events to go ahead, it will help employment also.