Jack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank both Deputies for the questions.

To respond to Deputy Boyd Barrett, I am informed that there were 150 people at the stakeholder forum, representing 50 resource organisations and representative organisations, including representatives from Arts and Disability Ireland.

Similar to all income, the payment will be reckonable for the purpose of social welfare means tests. Whether a person's social protection payment will be impacted or not will depend on his or her individual circumstances. However, many of the income supports provided by the Department of Social Protection include income disregards to encourage people to work.

The Department of Social Protection has undertaken to engage directly with disabled artists who are selected for the pilot scheme to deal with and address their individual circumstances. As I said earlier, the impact that income from the basic income pilot scheme will have on a person's disability allowance payment, for example, will depend on each person. There is no definite consequence. I am aware of the concern that exists in the broader community, as the Deputy mentioned, but perhaps I can go into more detail about it in a later reply.

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