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

I propose to take Questions Nos. 11 and 13 together.

I am pleased to inform Deputies Boyd Barrett and Brendan Smith that earlier this month I launched a number of new music and performance schemes, totalling €6 million, to aid employment in the creative industries. The music stimulus package involves three funding schemes designed to help sustain the popular commercial music sector across all music genres, including rock, pop, hip hop, indie, jazz, country and traditional folk. Under this package, a fund of €1 million has been put in place to stimulate areas of work which artists would usually fund with income from own sources, including live event fees. These schemes are targeted at professional musicians and their teams and will support song writing camps, recording and album releases. The aim is to ensure that Irish musicians, engineers, PR, media, agents, labels and publishers can continue to develop and insure their work in the context of Covid restrictions. The music stimulus package schemes are being managed on behalf of the Department by First Music Contact and will be subject to peer panel assessment.

Under the live performance supports pilot scheme, a further allocation of €5 million is being made available, which aims to assist commercial venues, producers, promoters of live performances and provide employment to workers in creative industries. My Department developed the conditions of this scheme in consultation with the sector, with particular assistance from EPIC. By the initial closing date, more than 100 applications had been received, requesting funding of over €15 million. That is why it is a pilot scheme. We will engage with the stakeholders to see what would work best before we consider anything further. The Deputy will be aware that I cannot have the negotiations for the budget on the floor of the House and that that is work I will be doing with my Cabinet colleagues.

Deputies Boyd Barrett and Brendan Smith will also be aware that I recently appointed the arts and culture recovery task force, which is being chaired by Clare Duignan. The membership of that task force includes representatives from the Events Industry Alliance. Taken as a starting point, the research and evidence of the devastating impact of the pandemic on the sector compiled by the Department, the Arts Council and other stakeholders, the task force will prepare a report setting out recommendations on how best the arts and culture sector can adapt and recover from the unprecedented damage arising from the pandemic.

The sector includes culture, the arts, the audio-visual industry and the live entertainment industry. The task force has already met twice. Its proceedings will be conducted in a transparent manner and all correspondence will be published in due course. I will consider the findings of the task force, as well as the experience of new schemes which were launched last month, in framing any further responses to the crisis.

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