Frank Feighan (Sligo-Leitrim, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Senator Byrne for his interesting response. As I have stated already, the Minister and her Department are examining the responses to the public consultation in tandem with suggestions received as part of the stakeholder forum. She will finalise the eligibility criteria and application form in the coming weeks.

The basic income for the arts pilot scheme will run over a three-year period. The intention is to research the impact a basic income would have on artists' and creatives' working patterns by providing opportunities to focus on their practice, to minimise the loss of skills from the arts as a result of the pandemic, and to contribute to the sector's gradual regrowth post pandemic.

I am sure the Senator will agree that such a significant and important policy intervention takes time to operationalise. The Minister hopes to announce the launch and details of the basic income for the arts pilot in the coming weeks. The Minister will also shortly release the report on the public consultation. Stakeholder engagement is core to the policy. I appreciate the Senator's interventions and hope that the Minister will be in a position in the coming weeks to have some good news.