Marie Sherlock (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I joined the parents of babies born via surrogacy standing outside Leinster House this morning - as did other Members - in calling for the Government to progress the assisted human reproduction Bill, which people have been speaking about since 2015. There has been promise after promise but we have yet to see any progress. Of course, the issues are complex and there are no easy answers but we cannot allow a situation to continue where the mothers of these babies have no legal recognition in this country.

I again ask for a debate with the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Deputy Catherine Martin, on arts and culture and all that has happened and that needs to happen in that space. We have been asking for such a debate for a number of months. I do not know if the debate in question took place. If not, it needs to take place as soon as possible because there are serious issues with regard to the reopening of the night-time economy. There is massive frustration on the part of those who have been beating on the door in that regard for a long period regarding what needs to happen for a safe reopening. There is also frustration among many nightclub and late-night bar owners in respect of the shambles of the regulations that are currently in place

It is important to say that a meeting was organised by Theatre Forum Ireland in mid-October and that it was attended by more than 70 theatre workers from across the country - actors, actresses, theatre directors and producers. This happened on foot of very important research published by Theatre Forum Ireland in August about pay and conditions in the performing arts. The results of the survey to which that research relates were stark. The survey was conducted among more than 90 arts organisations, venues, production companies and festivals and 139 artists. As a result of that important research, we know that: 22 respondents said they earned less than the national minimum wage; the median income was about €21,000, which is just over half of average earnings in this country; and more than one third had to rely on work outside the sector in order to get by. When we talk about treasuring and supporting the arts, we need to talk about the participative arts and those who make the arts their livelihood. Many of those who go into the arts do not do so to make a fortune. If we are in a situation whereby people cannot afford to live in our cities and are being obliged to undervalue their own work in order to get other work and have to live a precarious lives, we need to ask serious questions about how we support those working in the sector. To its credit, the Arts Council has its Paying the Artist policy, which was launched in February 2020, but we need to see much greater action and recognition by the Government and across the economy of the fact that we need to pay artists better. I would like to have a debate with the Minister on the matter.