Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The basic income for the arts scheme is a pilot. It was set up to see what the take-up would be like and how it would address the precarious nature of artists' income. There is no doubt that it has been massively successful. It has probably been a victim of its success because there might have been some people in the Department of public expenditure and reform who thought it was a pilot and would die a death, and then they could forget about it. However, it has been hugely successful and it is something to which I am hugely committed. That will form the basis of our negotiations with the Department. Support from Opposition parties such as the Deputy’s party is important because it puts it firmly and squarely on the agenda. I will not say to other sectors that they cannot look at this. They can freely look at it to see if there are other social enterprises-----