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

I introduced the local live performance support scheme, LLPSS, in 2021 as part of a suite of measures aimed at supporting the live entertainment sector through the Covid pandemic. The scheme allocated funding to local authorities to stage live events and thereby animate our town centres for local communities. A key objective of the scheme was to provide for the procurement by local authorities of performances by local performers and local crews in their communities. I provided funding of €8.8 million in 2021 to the LLPSS and the scheme proved very popular, with events taking place in every county. Every local authority participated, with 352 events taking place during 2021. In that year, the scheme provided for more than 7,800 employment days, while more than 5,600 individual artists, performers, production and technical crew benefited from it. Across the four local authorities in Dublin, 122 individual events that took place in the same year were funded by the LLPSS. This resulted in 1,692 employment days for 1,006 individual artists, performers, production and technical crew benefiting from events in Dublin under this scheme.

Feedback from local authorities was overwhelmingly positive, acknowledging the scheme has helped to reinvigorate local communities and provide a welcome boost to their economies during the pandemic. This year, I provided €5 million for events up to the end of June to provide a boost to the reopening of the entertainment sector, allowing live events to take place and local talent to perform to audiences throughout the country. Given the events are ongoing until the end of the month, the feedback surveys detailing the number of artists, crews and events to date in 2022 are not yet available. In light of the success of the scheme, I recently allocated a further €5 million to provide for events up to Hallowe'en.

I am delighted the local live performance programming scheme for local authorities has been such a success. It is part of a €50 million suite of supports in 2022 for those working in the live entertainment sector and has provided support to many working within it. I look forward to seeing communities enjoy the wide range of events over the coming months.

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