Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Socialist Party)
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91. To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the percentage of staff at cultural organisations in receipt of Arts Council or other such State funding who are on the JobBridge scheme or any other unpaid internship; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46867/14]

Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Socialist Party)
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I wish to ask the Minister about the percentage of staff at cultural institutions in receipt of Arts Council or other such State funding who are on JobBridge schemes or any other unpaid internships. My information is that unpaid internships and labour are now becoming predominant schemes in the arts and cultural sector.

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Whereas the arts strand of JobBridge was designed and brokered by the Arts Council, it is run by the JobBridge section of the Department of Social Protection with local authorities across the country. The gathering of statistics for the arts strand would, therefore, be a matter for that Department and the relevant local authorities.

I understand that when an extension of the JobBridge national internship scheme to provide for new internships in the arts sector was announced in April 2013, it was estimated that the initiative would provide up to 300 new places for arts practitioners through placements with local authorities. It is considered that this arts strand will continue to provide opportunities for those interested in careers in the arts, allowing them to gain hands-on experience and enhance their skills. The extension of the scheme will foster emerging talent in the arts and also support local arts groups in theatre, film, visual arts, dance, music, literature and more. This as an important development because it will help people take the first step towards a career in the arts. In this sector, there is a long tradition of new entrants working alongside established artists, performers, practitioners and arts administrators.

On the wider issue, there is a long history of internships, formal and informal, paid and unpaid, in the arts, as well as a culture of volunteerism, especially for seasonal programmes. For example, a local festival might use interns in its busiest period, typically in the run-up to and during the festival. Done the right way, this can make the festival better, increase community support and give the intern valuable experience. Many artists and arts administrators got their start as interns.

Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Socialist Party)
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It is a common myth that people interested in a career in the arts, such as young people fresh from college, are going on arts internships. That is no longer the case.

It is an open secret in the arts fraternity that free labour is being used to displace people in full-time labour. A quote in the Irish Journal of Arts Management and Cultural Policystates: "The reality is that the replacement and displacement of paid jobs by interns does happen". Another quote inVisual Artists Irelandstates that "Unpaid internships are becoming more common for a new generation of arts workers". They prop up the sector and they falsify a situation that may or may not be sustainable in the face of reduced public spending.

The reality is that people are doing repeat internships. There are people in their 30s who have been on three JobBridge programmes or three internships in the arts sector. It is not that they are gaining experience. There are no jobs there for them.

We did a survey of three websites and we found 52 jobs advertised, 36 of which were internships, 19 were JobBridge, eight were CE schemes, seven were unpaid internships and two were unpaid JobBridge programmes. That seems to be proof that it is predominant.

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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I do not accept that free labour is being used to replace staff. My experience of JobBridge is that it has been very successful. I know many people who have been on this scheme and who have moved into full-time employment. In regard to internships, young people go to work in businesses and they end up getting full-time positions as a result of their work on JobBridge or as an intern.

I have spoken to business people who have found it invaluable in terms of training up somebody because when one goes into a workplace first, one does not have the skills set needed to do the job straightaway. This has allowed them to upskill and then get full-time employment.

It is important that the arts world avails of this type of programme so that young people, who come out of college and need a bit of experience on the job, are able to get it. I would not agree that free labour is being used to replace staff.

Ruth Coppinger (Dublin West, Socialist Party)
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We are all in favour of interns and people getting experience in the arts but my problem is that they are doing so without getting any money whatsoever. The €50 would basically pay one's travel expenses to and from one's job.

If the Minister is that concerned, why does she not look at what they are doing in Britain, for example? The creative employment programme of the Arts Council of England is designed to support up to 6,500 paid internships to give people real training. What we found in the survey we did of three different websites advertising jobs was 36 internships, which I consider to be a small number out of 52 jobs. There were only 16 normal paid jobs. It is time to stop doing the arts and everything else in this country on the cheap. Many people are now being forced to do three internships and then emigrate without having an arts job at the end of it.

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The eligibility criteria for JobBridge is based on the overall objective of labour market policy in ensuring a pathway to appropriate employment, training and education opportunities for those on the live register. There should be an arts strand to JobBridge. It is important that this continues to provide opportunities for those interested in careers in the arts, allowing them to gain hands on experience and enhance their skills.