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

This is a complex and nuanced issue. Screen industry contracting may vary from production to production with a range of production types from lower budget domestic productions to higher budget incoming international productions. There are different approaches to purchasing rights for film and television projects.

Standard contracts between producers and creative rights holders vary from country to country, with different approaches throughout Europe. In this context, creatives currently operate under a range of different work-related agreements. Section 481 does not obligate one set of terms over another.

Matters relating to intellectual property rights, copyright and the transposition into Irish law of the EU copyright directive fall under the remit of my colleague, the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment. The transposed directive aims to strengthen and protect the rights of authors, performers and the wider creative community, notably with online platforms.

Certain provisions within the directive, designed to help Irish copyright law keep pace with the digital age, require all industry stakeholders to work together towards establishing new frameworks and agreements.

The acting profession in the audiovisual industry is represented by Irish Equity-SIPTU. In the first instance, SIPTU may negotiate and agree contracts, arrangements and rates for stage and screen actors in Ireland. SIPTU also represents many of the screen workers guilds and, in that context, a shooting crew agreement is in place and operates in the sector.

Earlier this year Screen Ireland, the State body with responsibility for the development of the Irish audiovisual industry, retained an independent facilitator to meet stakeholders to understand and discuss issues that have arisen since the transposition into Irish law of the EU copyright directive. During the first phase of the process, individual stakeholder meetings were held and, subsequently, moderated group discussions took place with screenwriters, directors, composers, actors, and animation and live action producers, with a view to finding common understandings and potential clarifications that might be required around the legislation. As a collective, the industry representative group has proposed next steps that Screen Ireland is reviewing with a view to supporting progress. It is important to allow that process the opportunity to address some of these concerns in the first instance. As Minister, I encourage all representative groups to continue to engage in this process and in negotiating fair agreements to ensure the continued success and growth of the industry.

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