Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister and his team for their genuine interest and engagement and for some of the very significant improvements they have made on foot of the debates and discussions that have gone on on this front.

No doubt it is a project to project issue. Having said that, well in excess of €1 billion has gone into the film industry through this relief over the past ten or 15 years. By any definition, that is a lot of money.

It is an indisputable fact that people who have worked in that industry for ten, 15, 20 or 25 years do not know when the next film production financed with that relief happens whether they have any chance of a job. In fact, there is nothing to prevent the recipient of that relief or one of its agents saying they are sorry, the worker worked there for the past 20 years, but he or she is not coming in on the current one. They do not have to give any reason because they are not the employer: the employer is a different entity. That is a real problem and it is current.

People will not have an income coming into this Christmas as a result. That is what we are talking about. I refer to people who have credits and awards to their name and who were part of award-winning films. That cannot persist.

In the short time available, I repeat my welcome for the engagement of the Government. I hope we can move this forward so that we create an industry of scale and with a more secure pool of employees with skills, trainees etc. that will help all of this industry and help arts and culture in this country develop and expand.

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