Marie Sherlock (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I, too, pay tribute to your comments this morning, a Chathaoirligh. We were all very affected by that family being brought to the House, their horrendous lived experience and those they have had to leave behind.I welcome the announcement yesterday of a basic income for artists and pay tribute to the work of the Minister, Deputy Martin, and, in particular, the National Campaign for the Arts which has worked on this tirelessly for many years. A basic income is no substitute for addressing the bigger and more important issue of decent wages in the arts. However, it is a very important step in terms of ensuring that there is a safety net for artists. We have questions about how the scheme will work and will direct them at a later date.

In welcoming the basic income for artists, I do so with mixed feelings because today 21 artists in Richmond Road Studios in Dublin 3 are facing the prospect of eviction from their studios as of tomorrow. They have been in the studios for 20 years. They are an amazing set of artists engaged in visual art, photography, painting, installation work and other art forms. They received a letter two weeks ago to say that the building of which they are tenants is in receivership and they will be kicked out. In fact, they are now currently trespassing. I want to make a direct appeal to the receivers, Kroll, to engage with the tenants. There are works that are valuable to the artists, if not necessarily financially valuable, and equipment in the building and we do not want an ugly situation to arise whereby the locks are changed. To date, Kroll has failed to engage with the tenants despite our many pleas. There is a bigger issue here with regard to how the Government is securing art space in Dublin and across the country. We have seen a continual hollowing out of arts space. The Government needs to put in place finance and other resources to ensure that arts groups can survive and thrive in this city and country.