Johnny Guirke (Meath West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

In my constituency, Meath West, I have spoken to many artists who have been affected by this pandemic. The arts and events industry has been shut down since March. I have listened to stories about how the affected have been dealing with the stress during this time and about how they do not see any future owing to the closure of their business. Musicians are being forced to sell instruments and businesses are being forced to close shops for good as they cannot survive. Some may believe it is just artists, musicians and DJs who are suffering from this crisis but the problem is much bigger. What about the sound technicians, lighting and visual effects technicians, stage managers and stagehands? The industry never needed State support in the past.

Thousands of people have seen their livelihoods stopped, with no date set for a return. Although they try to remain upbeat about the possibility of a gig being given the green light, some artists are really down and depressed, and it is their families who have to pick up the pieces at home. It is the families who have to worry about the bills being paid, putting food on the table and preventing the mortgage from going into arrears. They now have the extra burden of knowing Christmas is around the corner. That is when most of the artists make their money. Our musicians need to know we are here to support them and that the employment wage subsidy scheme payments and pandemic unemployment payments will be restored to the full amounts to help those most affected by the closure. Arts Council funding does not cover artists or workers in previously unfunded live events and entertainment industries.

The events industry has been hit the hardest. It was closed in March of this year and those affected, who are highly skilled professionals, feel they have been forgotten by the Government and thrown to the side of the road. While we seek to get the economy up and running again, the industry still does not have a return date, nor does it look like it will get one. There seems to be more emphasis on ticket-touting legislation than on helping those most hit by the pandemic. Our artists have worked in bars, clubs, theatres and venues and when they are in work, it creates employment, including for cleaners and bar and security staff. It is important to remember the chain of workers associated with a simple gig. The great joy and comfort the artists bring to people all over the country should not be forgotten.

If it were not for the media printing what is happening to artists and the potential timelines for reopening events venues, artists would be completely in the dark. We need to engage more with the industry - an industry that wants to work in a healthy environment and with safety restrictions in place but that cannot do so because the Government has it fully closed down. If we stop those affected from earning a living, through no fault of their own, we should be able to compensate them and leave them in a position where they can at least survive.

See this speech in context