Christopher O'Sullivan (Cork South West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Every member has echoed the comments made on the importance of the arts and the challenges they face during this pandemic and the resilience they have shown. My question is similar to that of Senator Byrne with regard to how the increased arts funding budgeted for next year will be administered and how it will filter down to the artists and the people who could benefit most from it. I assume up and coming musicians can apply for the bursary. I am from west Cork where we have a thriving organic music industry and the only arts funding many local musicians have been successful in getting is from the local authority arts department and the bursary there. Very few were successful with regard to Arts Council funding. I ask the witnesses to elaborate on the avenues available to them.

With regard to Arts Council funding applications in general, it is common to hear quite often from artists that it is quite arduous and there is a lot of paperwork, red tape and accounting involved. They say they need to be more than just artists to apply for it and that they need to be solicitors, lawyers and accountants as well. I totally empathise with this because they need to spend as much time as possible being creative and these lengthy application forms eat into that time. I am sure this is something the witnesses have been made aware of. Fast-tracking of funding to 400 artists was mentioned. That is fine when the applications are in but is there any way we could streamline and fast-track the application process for this vital funding for the arts community throughout Ireland?