Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)

I will go back to Deputy Ó Snodaigh's point with regard to disability. In the discussions I have already had in the Department with the representative groups, I have made clear my intention that if there is a successor scheme, there will be a clear focus on artists who have a disability in order to make sure they have access to the scheme. They should also be assisted in making an application to the scheme because for many of them, that is in itself a difficulty.

To be honest, all of the other questions that have been asked are very laudable but I do not have an answer for them. Whether we will have the same, existing cohort or we will be adding to them, taking away from them or changing the criteria will depend on the amount of money we ultimately have on an annualised basis, assuming a sum of money will be available. We are working on that basis. We still have a week to finalise it.

On Deputy Gibney's point about the name, during the discussions with artists' representatives they were positively disposed to looking at the possibility of changing the name. A lot of people do not like the word "scheme". Personally, I do not like the word "scheme". I am open to suggestions on it.

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