Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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Go raibh maith agat agus go raibh maigh agaibhse ar fad sa seomra eile. We have had three very different presentations but they are linked together in the commonality of the arts sector in Irish society and the industry that supports it, which is State-funded to some degree, and those who have been totally reliant on their own funding. I want to thank the witnesses for attending and for alluding to some of the problems that exist. That is all they could do in their short presentations but there is a much bigger submission from each of them, which highlight some of the issues. I am aware of some of those issues because I come from a family of artists and musicians. My mother is a sculptor so I have some idea of what goes on in the art world but, in particular, with the brothers who are musicians, what goes on behind the scenes when organising events.

All of us have seen the cancelled concerts and events over the years, especially in the past six months because of Covid-19. We might have bought a ticket for an event and feel downhearted that it is not going ahead but behind every one of those events is a huge array of people - stagehands and other production crew - and sometimes we forget about them. All of those individuals are very skilled but they are also in a precarious position because if events do not happen, they often do not get paid. We tend to forget that so. It is timely, therefore, that the witnesses have come before us, especially in view of the fact that the arts sector - and that encompassing event management and production - will be one of the last to recover.

"Recovery" only means coming back to the level the sector was at beforehand. Ms Dorgan said 72% of artists survive on less than the minimum wage. Hopefully the sector will recover to a condition much better than what existed before, with better appreciation than before.

I would like to ask a few questions. I hope the three witnesses can cover these queries in their replies to me or to others. Since the live events and arts sectors will be the last to recover, is now the time to set up an industry task force to look at the best ways to develop supports and encourage the decision to provide for the industry? This would apply not only for the next few months but for the next year, in the hope that by this time next year the industry will have fully recovered.

The Event Production Industry Covid-19 Working Group, EPIC, mentioned the question of VAT in its submission. The VAT rate on labour in this industry is 23%, while in other sectors it is 13.5%. Has there been any support for a reduction from the Department of Finance? How much would the industry save if VAT was reduced? Do the witnesses have a figure for the amount of VAT paid by this sector annually?

The events and arts industry is worth €1.3 billion. That was mentioned in several submissions. That shows it is a thriving and viable industry. Can the witnesses see it recovering to that level within a year, or will it take several years? How has the Department responded to the need to work towards that and retain the requisite skills?