Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I agree that the entire arts community and those who work in it have taken a massive hit. They were the first impacted, and due to the very nature of their activities, they may be the last to return. We need our arts now more than ever. They defines us as a people.

Since the advent of the crisis, officials from my Department have been actively engaging with the sector and continuing to engage with the agencies under its remit and other sectoral stakeholders to ensure that there is the greatest level of awareness of the available supports and to ensure that optimal use is made of available resources to best support this sector at this challenging time.

On businesses involved in the entertainment industry, such as SMEs and sole traders, the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation has put in place a comprehensive suite of supports for firms of all sizes, which includes grants, low-cost loans, commercial rates write-offs and deferred tax liabilities. These supports are designed to build confidence, to further assist businesses in the management of their companies, and to allow them to begin to look into the future and start charting a path forward for the weeks and months ahead. The Government has also extended its two universal income support measures for all sectors, and further measures will also be set out in the forthcoming July stimulus, which will build on the existing suite of supports introduced since the pandemic began and will aim to help sustain incomes. boost business, and kick-start the various sectors. Furthermore, the Government has committed to brining forward a national economic plan, to be published alongside the budget in October, which will outline the Government's plans to support the long-term sustainability of the economy.

Details of the July stimulus will be announced shortly, but I can assure the Deputy that I am on the Cabinet subcommittee for economic recovery, and I am acutely aware of the pressure facing the sector in light of the public health guidance. They have a voice at Cabinet and a voice on that Cabinet subcommittee. As I said, I am acutely aware of their needs and am pushing for everything in the July stimulus package.

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