Malcolm Byrne (Fianna Fail)
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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.

Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party)
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I thank the Senator for raising this important matter in a period when Covid-19 has effectively closed down the arts and culture sector. The restrictions have severely affected the livelihoods of many artists and creative workers. The limitations on indoor and outdoor events, social distancing and travel restrictions have had a severe impact on the arts, culture, live entertainment and events, with grave consequences for those working in these sectors. Many careers that have taken decades to build are now threatened and in serious jeopardy.

At a broad level, the Government has already responded to the challenges facing the sector through a number of recent measures, which the Senator mentioned. Considerable additional funding was secured for the sector in the context of the July stimulus, culminating in such events as the stunning performance this weekend of Happy Daysby Landmark Productions at the Olympia Theatre. I do not know whether the Senator saw it. Further significant additional funding was announced in budget 2021, with €130 million added to the Arts Council budget for 2021 and €50 million made available for supports for live performance. Tens of millions of euro in support has been provided to those impacted in the arts, culture, performance and events sector through the pandemic unemployment scheme and various wage subsidy schemes.

The arts and culture recovery task force report to which the Senator referred, entitled Life Worth Living, outlines ten recommendations for the sector. These include a proposed mechanism for the rolling out of the universal basic income, UBI, through the establishment of a pilot project that would last three years.

In addition to the recommendation of the task force, there is, as the Senator said, a prior commitment in the programme for Government to assess a pilot UBI — one that is informed by a review of previous international models. This matter is now being considered in the context of the national economic plan being developed by the Department of the Taoiseach, and it will ultimately be a matter for consideration by the Low Pay Commission.

The rationale behind the recommendation to introduce a basic income pilot is to create a more stable social protection mechanism to allow artists and events workers to sustain themselves during the pandemic and to take up work when it arises without losing existing social protection supports. Many creative practitioners and allied workers are freelance, moving frequently between self-employment, PAYE employment and periods of no employment at all. The pattern of low-paid and insecure employment has been exacerbated by the inevitable changes and uncertainties arising from the implementation of the recommendations in Resilience and Recovery 2020-2021: Plan for Living with COVID-19.

The pilot UBI could act to keep the sector intact, minimising the loss of skills and contributing to its gradual regrowth, with ongoing benefits, social, economic, local and national. UBI encourages entrepreneurship as people who are in receipt of it can take on work and earn additional taxable income on top of it.

The arts sector represents an appropriate area for a UBI pilot scheme for the following reasons. It is characterised by low and precarious income. It involves significant positive externalities. It includes a broad mix of employment types, and it has been chosen for UBI pilots in other jurisdictions, allowing international comparisons to be drawn, just as the Senator referred to what happens in France.

The task force also recommended an interim extension of the professional artists on jobseeker's allowance scheme. The current scheme acknowledges the status of self-employed artists as professionals, giving them a 12-month window to focus on building up their work before becoming subject to labour market activation.They are exempted for a year from the activation process which is mandatory for most jobseeker's allowance recipients. This scheme gives important support to professional artists who lose their employment and serves a different purpose from the UBI.

On a personal level, after a considerable amount of time and energy from the Green Party's negotiating team, I was delighted to secure a commitment in the programme for Government to a pilot UBI initiative. UBI has been a core policy of the Green Party since the party's foundation. The Government obviously involves three political parties. Needless to say, the Senator is very much pushing an open door with me when it comes to the introduction of UBI in Ireland. Perhaps he could assist to ensure his focused enthusiasm for the UBI is replicated across the other parties in government, and delivery of this programme for Government commitment is not only realised but strengthened.

Malcolm Byrne (Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister. I can certainly assure her of my support. I believe she will receive cross-party support on the issue at the Joint Committee on Media, Tourism, Arts, Culture, Sport and the Gaeltacht. As I said, this is an opportunity to be innovative and a universal basic income is something new. It should not be seen as a handout. Its purpose is to allow artists to develop their careers during the intervening period. I am conscious of the series of reports about which the Minister spoke. It would be useful, however, if we could have an indicative timeframe of the consultation process that may take place with the sector and a commitment that it will be cross-sectoral. Obviously, the arts and creative industries are broad so it will be open to them. Who will determine who will qualify for a universal basic income and who will manage it? Will it be the Minister's Department or the Department of Social Protection? I appreciate these are still relatively early days but it would be helpful if we could get some indicative responses on those issues.

Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party)
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While I would love to be able to pursue this issue, it will not come from my Department. My role is to advocate for it strongly. I know the sector and the arts community are aware I am doing that.

The recommendation for a pilot universal basic income is a very exciting proposal. UBI was never to be seen as a handout and I definitely do not see it as such. That goes against the very nature of a UBI. As I said, this pilot UBI reflects the commitment in the programme for Government. I want to see it thoroughly examined. That will happen in the context of the national economic plan. The proposal is now being considered in that context. It is being developed by the Department of the Taoiseach and will ultimately be a matter for consideration by the Low Pay Commission. There are, however, clear reasons that the arts and culture sector would be the right sector for such a pilot. Financial stress can impede creativity. The unconditional nature of a universal basic income is one of the key features that supports creativity and innovation. As the Senator knows, the scheme has been well received and has been the subject of much positive commentary both nationally and internationally. We are working now to see how it can be enhanced. I will also shortly establish the oversight group for the implementation of the recommendations of the task force. It, too, can have a role to play.