Frances Black (Independent) | Oireachtas source

The Tánaiste is welcome to the House. It is hard to believe but here we are again, speaking about the reintroduction of restrictions to curb the spread of Covid-19. As we have seen on too many occasions throughout this pandemic, the road ahead is full of twists and turns. It is very upsetting. I recognise the need for the public health guidance and guidelines to help us in preventing the spread of Covid-19 in our communities. I know how important it is particularly as we head into the winter months. We need to move from reactive to proactive decision-making to ultimately provide a greater level of certainty and predictability to Irish society than has been seen throughout the pandemic so far.

As my Seanad colleagues will be aware, I came to politics later in my working life. My true professional background is in music and live entertainment. This is a trade that took me a long time to learn. I dedicated most of my life to it. Like my friends, colleagues and family in the industry, I possess a unique insight about the impact of the pandemic on the lives and livelihoods of people working in music and entertainment. As I noted in the Chamber many times, the music and live entertainment industries have shouldered a greater burden during this pandemic than have most others. There is no denying that. The industry is literally on its knees. If we do not assist the industry in getting back on its feet to provide the support to ensure a long-term vitality and vibrancy, it will be a true loss to Irish society, culture and identity.

Last Friday evening we received word of the latest public health restrictions, many of which are likely to disproportionately impact the music and entertainment industry. Prior to that announcement, however, the situation for musicians and the entertainment sector had already been deteriorating for some time. On 22 October, after 589 days of closure, the music and entertainment sector reopened, albeit with restrictive measures in place. Reopening the industry was not a matter of just flicking a switch. For many people employed in music and entertainment it was a cautious and very measured process. Within a few weeks of the reopening public health advice was updated, encouraging people to reduce their social contacts. The midnight curfew was introduced soon after. Although this did not explicitly affect gigs and shows taking place before midnight, it did have an impact on the public's attitude and awareness and ticket sales reduced immediately and cancellations followed shortly after that. As the weeks progressed, the public health advice became more explicit, in that Christmas parties might be a bad idea, children should not attend seasonal activities such as the pantomime outside school and people ought to spend less time in high-risk environments. The general public headed the public health advice, and rightly so. However, audiences reduced to a point where gigs simply were not viable. At the beginning of last week, gigs, shows, concerts and events were being cancelled across the board. Musicians had their December diaries completely wiped out. The restrictions announced last Friday then formally sealed the fate of this industry for the foreseeable future with the repercussions to be felt well into 2022.

The pandemic unemployment payment has thankfully reopened for applications and workers in this sector who had returned to work in the interim should now be able to avail of this lifeline but the industry and the people working in it need more than a lifeline.We need to show the industry the respect it deserves instead of consistently asking it to take one for the team. Musicians and entertainers have sacrificed their livelihoods for the greater good of the country but the sentiment within the industry now is that musicians and entertainers feel the need to beg to ensure access to the basic supports they have been promised by the Government. This is what really upsets me. The phrase "they will not be found wanting" has been used ad nauseambut the lived reality for musicians and entertainers tells a completely different story. I am inundated with stories from musicians and entertainers contacting me along with other people working in the industry. It is really upsetting.

A young man contacted me yesterday who has a young family and a mortgage to pay and is panicking about Santa Claus and getting presents. He got a phone call to say that his gigs were cancelled coming up to Christmas. One can imagine the anxiety, stress and impact of that from a financial point of view along with the impact on mental health. He went to ask about the PUP. It is degrading. This is a man who is highly qualified and has spent years training to be a musician - more so than college. He had to go in yesterday and ask whether he was entitled to the PUP. He was told to prove that his gigs were cancelled and had to walk back out, go back to his employer, who is also a musician, and ask for a letter proving his gigs were cancelled. It is horrendous. It is so degrading. I remember many years ago when I was a separated mother with two very small children and had to walk in to ask for supports. It is degrading to walk in there. I never went back because I was treated like dirt. That is what is happening to musicians today who are trying to get a few bob to pay their bills. It is shocking. The culture relating to the arts and entertainment industry needs to change from a policy perspective.

In addition to those signed off on the PUP, there are others who have been subject to PUP cuts. Other workers were taken off the PUP and advised to seek jobseeker's allowance or PTSE. Those same workers, who were forced off the PUP, cannot reapply for it. Those who are in receipt of the lower rates and have no work because of the restrictions and the public health advice will not receive the higher rate. The PUP has been the only constant source of income for workers in this sector over the past 20 months, but now even those who adhered to the rules while on the PUP feel they are being punished further. I hear from people in the industry that the anxiety is as bad as it was when restrictions were introduced in March 2020, but the climate today is really different. The pandemic has taken its toll emotionally, financially and mentally and people's resilience is at an all-time low.

The Music and Entertainment Association of Ireland, MEAI, which does a phenomenal job of being the voice for those who have no voice, warned in August that a reopening plan had to find a balance between employment opportunities and financial support. The reopening plan was too optimistic and did not make provisions for the situation in which we now find ourselves. Workers find themselves within three weeks of Christmas with no work and, in many cases, no support so it is imperative that the full rate of the PUP at €350 per week is restored for all workers in the music and entertainment industry who have been affected by these latest restrictions and recent public health messaging. We cannot continue to ask musicians and entertainers to take one for the team. It is time to demonstrate to our musicians and entertainers that we value the contributions they make to Irish life and our culture and identity. They deserve this respect and so much more.

When the Tánaiste was Taoiseach, he attended a corporate event attended by a young musician with whom I worked very closely. The then Taoiseach spoke to musicians for 20 minutes. They could not believe that he went up to talk to them. They could not believe that he took time out of his busy schedule to do this. There were 200 or 300 people at that event.He was the only one to approach them. He knows how to treat musicians and others with respect. All I ask is that that happens from the top, from a cultural policy perspective, and that musicians are treated with the respect and dignity they deserve.