Marie Sherlock (Dublin Central, Labour)
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This matter relates to the basic income for those involved in the arts. This is a ground-breaking scheme that threw a lifeline to 2,000 artists in 2022. I wish to get assurances from the Minister of State as to what will happen in August when the three-year lifetime of the scheme expires. Many artists are anxious about what is likely to happen. A review is under way, which is absolutely acceptable and understandable. We must make sure that there is good use of public money. However, there is not much clarity as to the process involved here, when details will be published and when those currently in receipt of the basic income will be told what their future is going to look like. Will they be able to reapply? If so, when will the relevant process open? Those are the questions many of them are asking.

The basic income can be construed as a handout, but it is not. It effectively gives artists, particularly early career artists but also those who have been around a number of years, the opportunity to devote time to their art. Successive reviews of the scheme have demonstrated that those in receipt of the scheme can spend more hours on their art, do not have to hold down other jobs and that there is a return to the arts from the scheme. Of what is spent, about 40% of the basic income goes back into the arts. Ultimately, this is about work. The arts are often seen as fluffy. It is about work and the dignity of those who have a particular talent or creative form and want to give their lives to that. People who have approached me wonder if they will be able to pay their rent after August, continue with the successes they have had over the past three years and be able to plan their artistic career to the end of 2025 and beyond. Failure to renew the scheme would be devastating for many in the sector.

There is a huge appetite for the scheme to be extended. There were 8,200 applications for the scheme in 2022. Less than quarter were successful. The cost of the scheme is a drop in the ocean compared with the amount of money spent in other areas. For €35 million, the State gets quite a good return from supporting artists and ensuring that they can get on with their craft and, ultimately, that we live up to the notion that we are supportive of the arts. The reality has traditionally been the opposite; people needed to have very difficult years before achieving success.

This is not only about income; it also relates to the artistic space. The Minister of State will have heard me speak about that on many occasions in the Seanad. Today, it is about the basic income scheme and ensuring it continues. I would like to hear the detail of the process and what will happen post August.

Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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I know the Deputy has a long-term interest in this area. She has been extremely supportive of the scheme. The basic income for the arts pilot research scheme was the number one recommendation by the arts and culture recovery task force during the Covid-19 pandemic. The task force unanimously agreed that a basic income for artists was the best way to help the to sector recover after the pandemic and prevent a loss of talent to other sectors.

Two impact papers have already been published by the Department, with another due in the coming months. The latest data relating to the basic income for the arts is available on gov.ie. It is a priority for the Minister, Deputy O'Donovan, to ensure that the research is completed in order to assess and maximise the impact of the basic income for the arts in line with the programme for Government commitment.

While the research pilot is due to end in August, the basic income for the arts is fully funded to the end of the year. The Department is currently reviewing the data available to date and, as part of this review of the research, will shortly consider proposals regarding the next steps. The data from basic income for the arts pilot research scheme will feed into the Government's consideration of those next steps. The research will form the evidence base upon which the Government can base future policy proposals in this area. The Minister will shortly publish a qualitative research paper based on interviews on the basic income for the arts which provides the lived experience of some of those in receipt of the basic income for the arts. The Department is also undertaking a cost-benefit analysis to obtain a more complete assessment of the impacts of the scheme.

As the Deputy will be aware, there is a commitment in the programme for Government to assess the basic income for artists pilot research scheme to maximise its impact. While the research phase of the pilot scheme is ongoing, it is clear from evidence collected to date that the payment is having a positive impact on participants. The research data collected so far shows that the basic income for the arts payment is having a consistent positive impact across all indicators, positively affecting practice development, sectoral retention, well-being and deprivation. Artists in receipt of the support are typically able to devote more time to their art, experience a boost to their well-being through greater life satisfaction and reduced anxiety and are protected from the precariousness of incomes in the sector to a greater degree than those not receiving the support.

The scheme is underpinned by a gold standard research methodology know as a randomised control trial. This consists of two groups of randomly selected people. One is receiving the basic income payment, the treatment group, while the other, the control group, is not. Analysis of the results involves a comparison of averages between the two groups. As the groups have similar characteristics at baseline and are large, any difference arising during the trial can be assumed to have been caused by the policy. For example, the data shows that those in receipt of the payment completed, on average, almost four new pieces of work more in the past six months than their counterparts in the control group and are 14% more likely to have completed new work.

Some 2,000 artists have benefited from the payment of €325 a week since August 2022. There were more than 8,200 eligible applicants for the scheme. The 2,000 recipients were chosen through an anonymised random selection process. In addition, almost 1,000 artists agreed to participate in a control group. These participants are providing the same data as those in receipt of the basic income for the arts but do not receive the weekly payment.

The participation of those in the control group has been critical in assessing the impact of the basic income for the arts and gathering the data for the research outlined.

As of now, no decision has been taken on the future of the scheme while the data is still being collated and analysed. However, I assure Deputy Sherlock that the issue is foremost in the Minister's mind. As he stated in the Dáil last week, he fully appreciates the importance of the basic income support for artists and is acutely aware that the pilot is due to conclude in August. It is the Minister's intention to make an announcement on the next steps in the coming weeks. The Minister knows there is a broad base of support for the scheme and for the arts research project in the House.

Marie Sherlock (Dublin Central, Labour)
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I thank the Minister of State for that comprehensive response. Notwithstanding all of the detail provided, the question still remains as to whether artists can have any assurance that the payments they receive will end in August or in December, given that the scheme is fully funded to the end of the year.

When the review is complete and a decision is made, it will take time to revise some of the criteria relating to the scheme. In particular, I am extremely mindful of artists with a disability. Those who are in receipt of a disability allowance or blind pension were, unfortunately, excluded to a greater or lesser extent from the basic income because of the means test and the assessment of income. Time is very tight here. August is only three months away. These are individuals who, if they happen to sell a piece of work or receive some grant funding, live from bank transfer to bank transfer. The only regular funding most of them have is this allowance. Out of respect to them, I would like to hear some assurance from the Department as to when the last payments will issue under the current scheme.

Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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The Minister has advised me that he will meet shortly with the National Campaign For the Arts, NCFA, to hear its views on the scheme in detail. Department officials met the NCFA on 25 April last. It is important to note that the pilot is a research programme and that no decision has been taken as to the continuation of the basic income for the arts. The research evaluating the impact of the pilot scheme is ongoing. A Government decision will be required on a successor scheme. The pilot and the future of the basic income for the arts scheme will be decided when the final results of the research become available. This will provide the Government with the evidence upon which to base future decisions about the basic income for the arts. It is clear from the data, even at this stage, without all of the analysis being done, that it has had a positive impact. Ultimately, however, it will be a matter for the Government to decide what is going to happen.

Deputy Sherlock raised a specific issue. I will revert to the Department on that. I have been provided with information to the effect that the pilot is funded until the end of the year for those in the group that is already part of it. In any wider scheme, we will have to look at the wider impact. If there is a scheme to go beyond the pilot project, it will have to include everyone. Of course, there are budgetary issues that will arise and these will inform the Government's decision. I expect that this would be part of the next budgetary process and the round of Estimates in preparation for budget 2026.

I will bring the Deputy Sherlock's concerns to the attention of the Minister, although he is well aware of them because the Deputy has raised this issue on many occasions. I thank her for continuing to raise it. I have had a chance to meet with various artists who have really seen the value in such a scheme. They believe it supports them in their work. It is not a handout but is very much a support for the arts. Even in times of lesser finances we were able to support the arts sector generally. It is a really important part of our culture and heritage and will obviously remain important into the future.