Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Thank you very much, a Leas-Cheann Comhairle. Yes, I referred to what Deputy Mattie McGrath said. If he is going to engage in the kind of debate he attempted to engage in earlier, he needs to be prepared for those who are willing to respond, and I am willing to do so. The issues the Deputy attempted to raise about artists and those who give such soul to our country are also the very reason the Minister, Deputy Catherine Martin, put in place such an imaginative and broad package to try to support the sector which the Government acknowledges and the Minister knows needs further support as it looks to move into a period of rebirth after such a difficult time. That was done in the plans and package of last week. It builds on the work that was done by the previous Minister, now Minister of State, Deputy Madigan. We will continue with this work through the Arts Council as we seek to respond to and support a sector that is so important for our country.

Deputy Nash made other points about the need to support the arts and culture sector, to which I listened carefully. We hope the plans from last week will have an impact, but as will be the case with much during this crisis, we face a challenge. Deputy McNamara clearly summed up the challenge the Government and all Deputies have at the moment. He made a factually correct reference to the fact that different countries are pursuing slightly different approaches, as is the wont and right of national governments. He then said that, as we respond to the great challenge and effect of this terrible disease on this country and economy, we will only know what has worked with time. Unfortunately, as he stated, the challenge is that we will probably only know if it has worked with the passage of a fair amount of time.

During that elapse of time, that passage of days, weeks, months or periods even longer than that, all I can commit to doing is trying and trying again with the resources available to me and with the resources we can raise on behalf of our country to deal with this uncertainty and to deal with this level of need. If something does not work and if there is an issue that needs to be addressed with a measure we have introduced and if I think it needs to be changed and I can change it and do something better, then that is what I will do. That is not evidence of failure; it is proof of determination. That is what employers and companies across the length and breadth of our country are doing at the moment.

I refer to the issue raised by Deputy McNamara. Again, he acknowledged some of the issues he was looking to raise would normally be dealt with outside of a finance Bill through social welfare legislation or Estimates brought forward by other Ministers. In deference to the important points he raised, we have many other grants and supports that are not included in the finance Bill but that are about how we respond to the very sort of issues he raised on behalf of the self-employed. He is correct that while we are understandably having a debate about artists today, they make up only a portion of the self-employed, albeit an important one. This is the reason we have put such focus into changes like the restart grant. It is why, in respect of the losses provision to which the Deputy referred earlier, we have brought in an equivalent provision to the corporate tax provision for those who are self-employed in recognition of the point the Deputy has raised. It is also why we have, through institutes like Microfinance Ireland, put such effort into how we can make credit available to the very kinds of businesses he raised.

Deputy Murnane O'Connor raised the issue of taxi drivers. I echo my understanding of the issues the Deputy raised. On foot of the contributions made by her and by other Members this afternoon I will engage with National Transport Authority on this issue.

I thank Deputy Danny Healy-Rae for points he made. His contribution covered many artists, musicians and performers that mean a lot within his own county and constituency. I think it was the Deputy who raised the concern about whether we are losing our identity. In response, I would say that the work we have all done in trying to support the arts sector over many years, but in particular the measures put in place last week, is surely a recognition of two things. First, it is a recognition of the hugely important role artists play in the soul and not just the economy of our country. Second, I want to recognise that as we work our way through this awful disease and the terrible consequences it has had for our economy and for hundreds of thousands of our citizens, we may need to do new things. We may need to do more. We may need to stop doing things we were doing recently and we may need to come up with something better. That is the spirit in which I will approach the issues the Deputy was raising. I reiterate that the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Deputy Catherine Martin, put in place a huge number of measures last week. I am sure I will be corrected on this but I believe this included taking the Arts Council's budget beyond €100 million, precisely in recognition of the different issues that have been raised.

See this speech in context