Malcolm Byrne (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister, Deputy Catherine Martin, for coming to the House and acknowledge that she is personally invested in this issue. We have seen during the course of the pandemic that the arts, music and creative industries have in many ways helped us all through this period. They have fed our cultural soul. As we recover, the role of the arts and creative industries, and our artists and musicians, must be supported to help to rebuild our communities.

The Minister will know that this sector has been among the hardest hit. It is not just that there has been a blow to their income; in many ways, for artists and musicians, work is part of their identity and they are suffering. I very much welcome the clear Government commitments in respect of the additional €50 million for the Arts Council and the support for the live events industry. It is important that all those measures continue as restrictions remain in place, along with supports for arts venues.

When the proposed universal basic income scheme is introduced, it should be seen not simply as a handout but as a way to support artists and musicians when they are between gigs or other work and as a means of helping in their career development. There is a welcome commitment in the programme for Government to a pilot scheme in this area. I am conscious it was the first recommendation of the task force the Minister set up, Life Worth Living, on recovery in the sector. Internationally, universal basic income schemes have had mixed success, and I will not get too hung up on the name. We are talking about providing an essential support net for artists. I am quite supportive of the French intermittents du spectaclescheme, which supports creatives during the intermittent, fallow periods of work between gigs. There is a requirement that 507 hours be worked over a 12-month period. A model like that could be explored.

I would be grateful if the Minister could let us know whether there is a timetable for the introduction of the scheme, what the criteria for qualification will be, which might relate to the number of hours worked or an income threshold, and who will determine who qualifies for the new scheme. We talk about it as a pilot, but how broad will the pilot be?The group will have to be large enough to determine whether the pilot works. It will also have to be cross-sectoral because the arts, music and creative industry is quite broad. The pilot should cover as much of the sector as possible.

The commitment is for a three-year scheme. How can we measure success? What will be the measure? I hope we will see something more permanent, such as in France. Who will manage the scheme? There has been some concern regarding the social welfare scheme for artists in that there is a lack of awareness on the ground in some of the social protection offices. It will be important to have the scheme explained in detail. There should be consultation with the various representative groups on how the scheme is to be introduced.

Ultimately, this is about the possibility of sustaining our artists. When we come out of this pandemic, there will be a genuine opportunity to build further on Ireland's wonderful reputation for the arts and creativity. I am aware that the Minister is personally committed to doing this. The scheme could provide an opportunity to provide the necessary supports.