Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)

I will stick with artists for the moment, if that is okay. On the budgetary discussions, I have made it abundantly clear, even in the last line I read out, that I am in favour of the retention of the scheme. However, as Deputy Ó Snodaigh, who has been around a lot longer in this place than I have, knows, I still have to secure a funding source to make sure we have a scheme that can be implemented in the immediate aftermath of February. I will point out that since I arrived in the Department, we have done a number of things, including extending the scheme beyond the end of 2025. It was to run until the end of Christmas. I did not think that was appropriate, so I made our own resources available out of the Department to make sure we could bring it to February.

We also did quantitative and qualitative data research, which we published, including the cost-benefit analysis. We have had significant engagement with the campaign for the arts as well, all of which is focused on assessing people's views but also drilling home the value of the scheme, not just to the individual artist but, as Deputy Gibney said, to society and the Government as well. We will continue to do that.

Any successor scheme will be predicated, first, on a funding source. The quantum of the funding source will then determine the number of people that will be able to access it, again, having had discussions with the Department of Social Protection and others.

I am also of a mind to change the name of the scheme. To be quite honest about it, "the basic income for the arts scheme" is not necessarily a name I would attribute to a scheme where ultimately, people are working on behalf of the State and producing works that can then lessen the precarious nature of their work. I am open to their suggestions. When I raised it with them, they were very positively disposed to a name change. Of course, that is predicated on if we will get funding and the quantum of the funding.

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