Maureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central, Independent) | Oireachtas source

We all acknowledge the importance of arts and culture. My question is how we show that in reality. I am not just talking about increased funding to the Arts Council; I am talking about the precarious nature of the work, the lack of stability, the short-term contracts and how very difficult it is for the majority working in the arts area to make a living. I wish to stray into the area of social protection. There is a need for a social welfare payment for those involved in the arts industry when they are out of work. We know there is jobseeker's allowance and jobseeker's benefit. Given the questions that are being asked of artists and actors to avail of either scheme, the system does not seem to take into account the sporadic nature of the work. The circumstances of professional actors are unique and they do not suit the current JobPath programme.

The Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection, Deputy Regina Doherty, has introduced a pilot scheme for the arts, which was welcomed by the National Campaign for the Arts, but it is limited to those who are self-employed artists in just two specific communities, that is, literature and visual art, and the majority of working artists do not have access to that. Does the Minister communicate with the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection on the issue because it is directly related to people who are working in the arts and culture area?

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