Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire agus tá brón orm as ucht an mhoill - bhí mé ag cruinniú Zoom leis an gCeann Comhairle. Ba mhaith liom díriú isteach ar an athrú atá tar éis teacht ó mheán oíche aréir.

While we are not at level 5 shutdown, the arts and entertainment industries have once again been shut down in many ways unless people can avail of online opportunities. For the vast majority of those in the arts and entertainment industries, online is not as feasible as it is for other sectors. This is a sector that has been on its knees since it was closed down for the first time in March. More than 5,000 workers in the sector having had their pandemic unemployment payment cut only a few weeks ago. They are struggling to survive and have been let down by the Government which does not seem to have the urgency or a plan to deal with those who have no other outlet for income. There are only cuts.

Sinn Féin has called for a clear plan from the Government to deal with the crisis in the industry since March.

I raised this with the then Government in the Covid-19 committee back in May and I have raised it with the Minister on a number of occasions. I still hope that we will hear some news sometime of the PUP being restored to those in need of it at the rate it was prior to the cut a fortnight ago.

Like many other Members, I am sure that the Minister has received many emails about the need to support the live events industry. I congratulate those who have taken the time to share their experiences with us. These are not just normal emails. My office received 1,000 emails as part of a campaign organised by the Event Production Industry Covid-19 Working Group, EPIC. It has highlighted the value of live events at €3.5 billion as well as the plight of the 35,000 full-time and part-time workers who have been left behind and are out of work. I congratulate EPIC and its campaign in galvanising the passions of thousands of people who would not otherwise write to politicians. They have written to me and probably to others in this House and outlined some of the harrowing stories of the dire straits that they are in. I have been trying to respond to every one of those emails over the past month and I apologise to those who I have not managed to get to thus far. Due to there being so many of them, some were caught in the email spam and releasing them, I discovered, is not as easy as it should be.

For instance, Adam from Ballyfermot says:

Just been out of work for so long and trying to get by on €350 a week and now €300 is hard. I've gone from working 60 to 70 hours a week to zero. I've been in a job since I finished school and I am lost without it. The events is more than a job for most of us. It's a lifestyle and mine has been taken away from me.

Steve wrote to me, and probably to others. He is from the band, The Stunning, whom many of us will remember, and we hope that we will hear from Steve and those in the band again in the future. The Stunning were marking 30 years this year since their debut album. He said:

I have been a professional musician with my band The Stunning for over 30 years. People in my industry have not worked since last March and I myself haven't gigged since December 28 2019. We had a huge year lined up for 2020 with festivals booked all over the country, and it's the 30th anniversary of the band’s debut album. I'm also an actor and my last job I did with RTÉ was last year.

Jane from Blackpitts writes:

I worked for the events and marketing agency in Dublin with 22 of the most hard-working people I've ever met. Just before Covid we were experiencing our best quarter in years. We had grown a solid client base and were expanding our offering with new staff and departments. On March 15, everything stopped. Clients pulled out of events planned and the phone stopped ringing. 30% of our staff were let go and the rest were put on part-time hours. Thankfully, for the wage subsidy scheme, I was lucky enough to keep my job but with the support ending soon, I am terrified about my future.

It continues in the case of others. Dan from Walkinstown says:

I am stressed. I am under financial strains. I have borrowed and I am not sure I can pay it back. I have been abandoned by the Government and the Department of Social Protection. I and at least 35,000 others like me are part of an industry that has been destroyed, /this industry is one of the main reasons that our powerfully successful tourism industry is so loved by the people from around the world. Our artistic output and nightlife culture are vital to the Irish economy and the lack of support is killing us. It has already passed the point where it will not recover and return to what it was. You must take action now.

During a meeting I had with Mary Coughlan and the Musical Entertainment Alliance Ireland, MEAI, which represents 4,800 music and entertainment workers, she told us about someone she knows who is worried about not being able to afford to pay his rent on a reduced PUP and who is planning to sell his double bass as he sees no future in music after all of the years that he has put into honing his talents. We also heard at that meeting of people living in sheds and cars because they cannot afford the rent anymore. Others are very stressed about the banks and mortgages and are not getting any relief.

The funding that has been provided thus far has been welcomed by Sinn Féin but it is nowhere near enough and it is also confusing. Even the funding announced by the Minister for some projects, it seems as if they are announced in June, announced again in July and announced again then prior to the budget. We will probably hear of them again next week. Clarity is needed on what has been announced and what will be announced so that we know whether such schemes as the €5 million live performance scheme is the same as the €10 million performance and production support scheme announced in the July stimulus package.

There are a number of issues. We need to look to, and learn from, other countries. In Germany, the self-employed artist is entitled to a 50% reduction, for instance, in insurance fees. The arts there have received much more, proportionately, than in Ireland. In March, the first thing that the government in Germany did was to provide a €50 billion package for small businesses and the arts. Their labour Minister intends to extend their version of PUP to artists until March 2022, not 2021. We should at this stage start looking at the industries, including the arts and entertainment industry, which will be last to open. The Minister acknowledged that in her contribution that it was one of the first to close, and possibly for many artists in that industry, will be the last to open. That means that there has to be a different approach for this sector of society, especially if we are trying to rebuild our tourism industry in the future, and to give a lift to all those involved.

Ba mhaith liom ar deireadh an deis a thapú chun tacú leo siúd atá tar éis cuidiú linn ar fad sa mhéid a dhéanann siad go dtí seo le linn na tréimhse seo, ag déanamh ceoil, drámaí agus gach rud eile ar líne agus atá ag tabhairt ardú spioraid dúinn ar fad san am deacair seo. Tá siad cróga agus ag déileáil lena lán deacrachtaí agus, mar a dúirt mé, na deacrachtaí ó thaobh ioncaim atá ag mórán díobh. Tá fadhbanna meabharghalair ag neart acu agus againn timpeall na tíre, áit a bhfuil daoine thíos leis an brú atá orainn toisc nach bhfeiceann siad bealach amach, nó i gcás a lán daoine lasmuigh de seo, conas is féidir leo gnathbhillí an teaghlaigh, ar nós an mhorgáiste, an árachais nó a leithéid sina íoc. Impím ar an Aire agus ar an Rialtas ina iomlán, agus go háirithe ar an Aire Gnóthaí Fostaíochta agus Coimircí Sóisialta, déileáil arís leis seo agus ardú a thabhairt don íocaíocht PUP, ach ní hé sin amháin atá i gceist. Tá i bhfad Éireann níos mó airgid ag teastáil le go mbeadh tuarastal ann agus rud éigin le déanamh ag a lán díobh siúd atá gafa faoi láthair. Gabhaim buíochas.

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