Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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2. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if she is aware of cases in which individuals are, as a result of participating in the basic income for artists scheme, being pursued with debt letters for thousands of euro in social protection overpayments, with no warning given prior to or following the commencement of the scheme that individuals on jobseeker's allowance would face such negative consequences; and to explain why the poorest arts workers must rely on the basic income to cover basic living costs and give up their main social welfare payment while still seeking employment, when at the same time those already earning from employment can use the basic income to pursue a career in the arts while maintaining their full income. [23709/23]

Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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My question is quite lengthy. It relates to the basic income for artists. Some of those participating in the scheme are now being pursued with debt letters from the Department of Social Protection, despite many people's understanding that this was an additional payment and those who were on social welfare would not suffer a loss of income on the basis this was meant to be income to help them not go into debt.

Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party)
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The basic income for artists, BIA, pilot scheme has been introduced following extensive consultation with the arts sector to assess how such a scheme can best support professional arts practice in Ireland. The associated research programme will capture data on all aspects of the scheme to inform future policy responses to the needs of the sector. This will include the interaction of the €325 per week payment with social welfare supports, which are a matter for the Department of Social Protection. Feedback on the scheme from recipients to date is overwhelmingly positive but, of course, I have sympathy with any recipients who may be experiencing difficulty regarding social welfare issues. That is why the research element of the BIA scheme is of such importance.

The issues raised by the Deputy relate primarily to the manner in which social welfare schemes assess income from other sources. These are matters for the Minister for Social Protection under various chapters of the Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005, as amended. Any changes to the social welfare code would require amendments to the Social Welfare Act, for which I have no statutory responsibility, and would be a matter for my colleague, the Minister for Social Protection. Social welfare legislation obliges every claimant or beneficiary to notify the Department of Social Protection of any change in circumstances. This includes the acquisition of any new income, such as the basic income for artists. My Department highlighted this obligation in the guidelines and FAQs for the scheme. When accepting a place on the scheme, applicants were strongly advised to investigate what their own particular tax and social welfare situation would be should they receive payment.

The overarching objective of the BIA scheme is to address the earnings instability that can be associated with the intermittent, periodic and often project-based nature of work in the arts. It aims to ensure that participants retain a steady and predictable income during the pilot and help artists develop self-sustaining creative practices. The scheme is also an opportunity to conduct that in-depth research into the pay and living conditions of Ireland's artists. It was a key priority for me as Minister with responsibility for arts and culture. I look forward to seeing the results of the research programme underpinning the pilot. Publication of the research should commence this summer.

Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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I also welcome the research. I will highlight one case in particular, about which I have written to the Minister and the Minister for Social Protection, Deputy Humphreys. The latter told me that the person in question was doing everything right in just seeking clarity, yet the Department continued to pay him. That meant he ended up with a payment of €3,000 that is now being demanded of him. As he stated:

The fact that the Department were aware that I was not entitled to jobseeker's yet continued to dispense payments to me is deeply concerning. That implies the Department knowingly let me put myself in a position of serious debt, despite proactive clarity seeking on my part. ... I would have been homeless were it not for the jobseeker's, yet if I was no longer entitled, why were there no contingencies established for individuals in my position?

The question is what can be done in this case. Will the Minister liaise with the Minister for Social Protection, even at this stage? These issues were raised before the scheme started.

Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party)
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As I said, I assure the Deputy that the issue of disabled artists participating in the BIA scheme was and is a matter I take very seriously. Issues around the disability allowance are something my officials and I were aware of at the very outset of planning this intervention. I understand how important the social welfare payments, and issues such as medical cards, are for people with disabilities but, that being said, I have no statutory function regarding those issues.

There was stakeholder engagement and I was determined from the outset of this scheme that artists with disabilities would be in a position to participate. To that end, bilateral engagement took place between my Department and the Department of Social Protection prior to the launch of the scheme.

There are barriers and that is something that very much came out in the research element of this. This is a pilot scheme and it may well end up shedding light on this particular issue which would be of benefit to those artists with disability. As I said earlier, we emphasised very clearly to those participating that they need to examine their own individual circumstances.

Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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In this case, the individual did examine these circumstances and contacted the Department of Social Protection several times. The Department of Social Protection is undermining a pilot scheme from the Minister’s own office. That is the extent of it because I will finish again with a quote from the person who wrote to both the Minister present and to the Minister, Deputy Humphreys, where he said these payments have diminished his capability to create and fund his own work, which was the purpose of the basic income for the arts scheme. In fact, engaging with this pilot scheme has led to at least one person, and I know that there are others who are in similar circumstances, being unable to continue with their art in the current framework. There was engagement at the start between the Minister present and the Department of Social Protection but it looks as if the Department of Social Protection does not understand the scheme and is acting against the reasons behind it.

Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party)
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These issues relate primarily to the manner in which the social welfare schemes assess income from other sources. These matters are an issue for the Minister for Social Protection under the various chapters of the Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005. As I said, I believe that the value of the research programme associated with this scheme is that it will capture the experience of all participants, including those with disabilities, and point to any adjustments which may be required for future supports. The interaction of this support and social welfare payments, especially for those with disabilities, will likely be one of the most important insights to emerge from the pilot.