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

I genuinely welcome the fact that the Minister responded to that informal approach, which I made on behalf of the Events Industry Alliance, to get more representation on the task force. Even since then, however, the situation has deteriorated. With more severe restrictions being imposed in Dublin, and possibly elsewhere, it is a very grim picture that is facing the events, music and arts industry. Frankly, if we compare the additional supports that have been provided with the position in New Zealand, it has given massive support to sustain these people compared to what we are giving them. We will need those music and arts people and so on in the grim period ahead we are facing, and we will need them to be around when we finally get out of this dire situation. They have made clear their demands. Critically, it is the maintenance of the PUP but for people to be allowed to take bits of work on top of that without losing their income, additional supports to cover their ongoing costs such as grants and so on and, where events can happen but on reduced capacity, that subsidies would be provided to ensure those things can happen.

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