Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)

I thank both Deputies for their support. To reply to Deputy Tóibín, this is not a difficult decision that has been kicked down the road. The scheme was due to end in August and the easy thing to do would have been to wind it up but I did not do that. I have extended it past the budgetary date at the end of the year and into the new year. This will give me an opportunity to use empirical quantitative and qualitative data to demonstrate to the public and to colleagues in the Government that this is a scheme worth retaining. As with any pilot scheme, such as with regard to grassroots music venues, with a pilot there is always a confined number of people at the start. Invariably there will be people who are disappointed. This is the nature of pilot schemes. I welcome the fact that Deputy Tóibín's party supports it.

Deputy Ó Cearúil is right that the concept of this when my predecessor introduced it was to give people the opportunity to practise while, at the same time, taking them out of a poverty trap. The cost-benefit analysis will give us an opportunity to see what has been defrayed by way of social protection payments and what has been offered by way of this payment. We will then have a more holistic view of the outputs regarding what the State has gleaned and gained from making the investment, how the artists themselves have gained, how the community has gained and what the costs are. The costs can be borne and weighed in terms of savings made from the non-payment of social protection as against, on the other side, the assignment of moneys under the basic income for the arts. There is a bit of work to be done on this yet but the community has responded very positively to my position on this, which is that I want it retained. I do not think this is kicking the can down the road. It is making sure before I bring a proposal to the Government that we have all our ducks in a row.

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