Marie Sherlock (Labour)
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I welcome the Minister of State. While we would have loved to have the Minister, Deputy Catherine Martin, with us, he will convey our message to his Green Party ministerial colleague.

As the Minister of State knows, it is almost a year since the arts, culture and live entertainment sectors had to shut down operations. A series of good and positive initiatives have been designed by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media to assist them, but this matter relates to the €50 million live entertainment fund announced in budget 2021. We are nearly five months on since that announcement, but I am unclear as to whether we have any additional detail on how the fund will be rolled out and to whom it will apply. While we agree with the Government taking a cautious approach under Covid-19 Resilience & Recovery 2021: The Path Ahead, there should be no excuse for a lack of clarity or full information on this support fund. The essence of a sector such as the live entertainment industry means that it needs time to plan. It also needs confidence in the transparency around how the funding will be allocated. With a degree of horror, we watched the criticisms levelled at the Department last year regarding how the music industry stimulus package was allocated.

I am raising this matter in the context of broader concerns for the sector, in particular the stories we are being told time after time by workers and people with small businesses in the live entertainment sector who say they are hanging on by their bare fingertips. Indeed, some people have already exited the sector. Those in the sector still have costs even though they are not operating. They must maintain their insurance because they do not want a break in cover and there are other overheads. Time and again, the response from the Government is to point to the Covid restrictions support scheme, CRSS, and the Covid business aid scheme, CBAS, but many businesses are excluded because those only apply to rateable businesses.I cannot for the life of me fathom why the Government continues with its fixation on rateable businesses. I understand there have to be criteria and that the public finances need to be protected, but I do not understand why the Government, having listened to months of criticism from all of us in the Opposition and within the Government, remains fixated on rateable businesses. There are alternatives. There were 212,007 active VAT traders in the country in 2019. Surely VAT could be the metric, the anchor on which businesses could be targeted for support. In 21st century Ireland, it is not acceptable to suggest that a business has to operate from a premises with a shopfront. Thousands of businesses operate from a back room, which goes back to the issue of rateable businesses.

My initial question was regarding the €50 million fund. It is very welcome but we need to see detail of how and when it will be rolled out and to whom it will apply.

Ossian Smyth (Dún Laoghaire, Green Party)
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I take the Senator's points about rateable businesses. I will describe the supports targeted specifically at the live entertainment sector and the arts. It is true that not every business will have a premises these days.

Covid-19 restrictions continue to have a devastating effect on the live entertainment sector. Restrictions on mass gatherings are necessary to prevent the spread of the virus but have meant that opportunities for live performances in front of an audience have been almost completely restricted over the past year, which has had grave consequences for these sectors. In 2020, the Department provided grant aid to a range of programmes and initiatives to produce much-needed cultural and live entertainment content for audiences throughout the State and abroad. These schemes included the pilot live performance support scheme, LPSS, the music industry support package, MISP, Tradfest, Ireland Performs, Hot Press gigs and Other Voices Courage.

These initiatives sought to assist individual musicians, commercial venues, producers and promoters to provide income and employment opportunities for workers in the creative sector. The pilot LPSS awarded €5 million to 59 projects, providing thousands of days of employment to hundreds of musicians, actors, crews and technicians at a time when no other opportunities were available. Artists and supporting roles were employed to do what they do best and provide the general public with much-needed entertainment. Our initiatives have provided a pipeline of exceptionally high-quality livestreamed concerts, as well as pantomimes and theatre productions, which were very well received. They were watched both in Ireland and throughout the world. Irish audiences need to see and experience Irish art.

The House may be interested to learn that over the past three months, virtually all new artistic output in Ireland has been generated through public funding, mainly through the Department. In particular, the pilot LPSS provided a much-needed varied and timely benefit to Irish people everywhere. There is strong support for a new LPSS arising from the experience of the pilot and this demand comes from throughout the live entertainment sector. The pilot allowed promoters, venues and producers to innovate and try out new ways of reaching audiences. The new approach has resulted in significant learnings on new successful models, including paid platforms, and this strengthens the live entertainment and performance sector. Other feedback from musicians, artists and producers revealed a powerful well-being benefit to artists and musicians from being given the opportunity to perform live, especially after such a long time, even when the performance was to an empty room.

In budget 2021, there is a higher order of magnitude of support than that of last year. It is envisaged that a roll-out of €50 million in allocation will include a grant scheme similar to the live performance support scheme. Other measures are under consideration, including those that emerge from engagement with the sector, stakeholders and the local authorities. The Department has gained valuable insights into the pilot and will apply these learnings as soon as possible when allocating the funding this year.

Marie Sherlock (Labour)
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As I said earlier, I appreciate that much good work has been done in the Department, but I came to the debate to learn something new. Many others have asked about the €50 million fund and, unfortunately, we have not heard any new information.With the greatest respect, I have heard the Minister, Deputy Martin, speak about the lessons that have been learned. The Minister of State mentioned the pay platforms. However, we do not have any additional certainty or clarity for those who are hoping to apply. It is a very simple question and I think those in the sector deserve simple answers. I appreciate that the Minister of State is here to deliver a message, but I ask him to tell the Department that it is not good enough to send that message into this Chamber and reiterate all the good things that were done last year. We are now in 2021 and we want to hear about progress. It is about looking ahead, not looking back.

Ossian Smyth (Dún Laoghaire, Green Party)
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I thank the Senator. I take her points on board and will convey them to the Minister, Deputy Martin, whom I meet regularly. This year, we are doing something which is ten times larger than what we did last year. I cannot pre-announce what the Minister will announce but I know this issue is very dear to her heart and she is very keen to deliver on her commitments.

I draw the attention of the Senator to the Minding Creative Minds well-being and support services. Although the restrictions affect everyone, there is an added source of stress and tension for artists and creatives who are prevented from expressing through their art. In December, the Minister was pleased to announce funding of €230,000 for the expansion of the Minding Creative Minds service to the entire creative sector, both at home and abroad. This innovative 24-7 well-being support programme provides the Irish creative community with access to experienced counsellors and psychotherapists who can offer short-term intervention and advice covering practical day-to-day issues that cause anxiety and stress. This funding comes with the recent recommendation from the arts and culture recovery task force which specifically highlights the need for well-being supports for the sector. I would be grateful if Senators were to highlight this important service in their respective areas.

Fintan Warfield (Sinn Fein)
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The next Commencement matter will be taken by the Minister of State, Deputy Joe O'Brien. I call Senator Gavan.

Paul Gavan (Sinn Fein)
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I thank the Acting Chairperson. It is nice to see him in the Chair. The Minister of State is very welcome. It is nice to see him. I thank him for coming to the House. I wish to raise an issue relating to a deposit return scheme for drinks containers. As the Minister of State will be aware, his colleague, the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, Deputy Eamon Ryan, announced that such a scheme will be introduced. It is hoped that it will be introduced in the near future. I believe the introduction of a deposit return scheme represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reshape our relationship with the environment.

Last year, the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, unveiled his vision for the design of the scheme. He announced that the scheme would only include polyethylene terephthalate, PET, plastic bottles and aluminium cans. I ask the Government to urgently reconsider that decision. To exclude materials such as glass bottles from the scheme is short-sighted in the extreme. It goes against a wealth of statistical evidence and totally ignores public opinion on this issue.

Recycling rates for glass in Ireland reduced from 86% to 78% between 2018 and 2019, meaning that close to 30 million glass bottles were not recycled. Glass is one of the most common items to pollute our beaches. It is also one of the litter items that causes most concern, particularly among parents and pet owners, because of its potential to cause injury. Broken glass causes a real hazard for local authority, private sector and voluntary clean-up crews and can contribute disproportionately to other litter-related damage such as punctures.

The current exclusion of glass from the scheme flies in the face of internationally recognised best practice on deposit return schemes, such as that in Denmark. Its deposit return scheme, which has levied a deposit on glass bottles since 1922, is the envy of the world. Since introducing its scheme, the recycling rate for empty glass in Denmark has risen to 90%, one of the highest in the world.

To exclude glass would be to ignore the opinion of the public and leading Irish environmental charities on this issue. A poll published last year by VOICE Ireland revealed that almost nine in ten people believe all drinks containers should be included in a deposit return scheme. It highlighted that a majority of Irish people support the inclusion of glass bottles in the scope of the scheme. In late 2020, some 20 leading Irish voices, including the CEOs of Friends of the Earth, An Taisce and VOICE Ireland, signed a letter calling for the inclusion of glass. Now more than ever before, the Government must listen to the people on this issue.

I wish to take this opportunity to highlight to Seanad Éireann and the Minister of State the need for a deposit fee that varies according to the size and material of the container. This really is a common-sense proposal. A flat rate 20 cent deposit has been proposed for the vast majority of containers, regardless of size, from 330 ml servings of lemonade to 3 l containers of cola.For smaller servings of less than 0.5 l, a 20 cent deposit represents a huge percentage increase on the price charged to the consumer and for larger containers the increase is less significant. One can see the problem, as this will encourage a shift in consumer behaviour towards larger containers, which is not good when we think about overall health policy. We do not want people buying larger containers of sugary drinks, for example. A variable deposit scheme is far better and I can cite a number of examples, including Norway, Sweden, Finland and Denmark. We know best practice is to move to a variable deposit scheme.

I urgently call on the Minister of State to ensure Ireland's deposit return scheme is fit for purpose. We must make it one of the leading schemes in the world and we must be ambitious. It should be a scheme that countries across the EU can admire and replicate. Failure is not an option and glass must be included, with the deposit varying according to size and material of the container. I look forward to the Minister of State's response.

Joe O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Green Party)
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I welcome the Senator's call for ambition on this subject. While I will touch on the glass issue in a moment, in an initial statement I am happy to update Members on progress on this matter this morning. Members will be aware that plans for the introduction of a deposit return scheme, DRS, for plastic bottles and aluminium cans were announced in last year’s programme for Government.

A deposit return scheme for plastic bottles and cans involves the application of a refundable deposit to incentivise consumers to return the drinks containers for recycling or reuse. There are a number of reasons we need such a scheme in Ireland but, put simply, too few plastic bottles and cans are currently being captured for recycling and too many are being discarded as litter and this needs to be addressed if we are to meet our existing obligations and achieve our ambition set out in the waste action plan to put Ireland among the top EU waste and circular economy performers.

The single use plastics directive, which will be transposed by July this year, sets a collection target of 90% for plastic bottles by 2029 with an interim target of 77% by 2025. A report prepared by the Eunomia consultancy concluded that a deposit return scheme is considered to be the only feasible way to achieve the required levels of performance under the single use plastics directive. In reaching this conclusion, the study shows that we are currently achieving an estimated 55% separate collection rate for plastic bottles and aluminium beverage cans, leaving us behind the 2025 target and well short of our 2029 target. The directive also requires that plastic beverage bottles contain at least 25% recycled plastic by 2025 and that all plastic beverage bottles contain 30% by 2030. A well-operated and managed deposit return scheme is capable of producing high-quality food grade recyclable material, which can be used by beverage manufacturers to meet these recycling content targets.

The Eunomia report outlines other reasons why we should introduce a deposit return scheme in Ireland, even if we were not facing these EU targets. It estimates that a deposit return scheme could reduce the cost of litter to communities by €95 million. It could also reduce littering of drinks containers by 85% and reduce the tonnage of these containers that are landfilled or incinerated by 88%. The consequent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions in a year is valued at €1.83 million, with the annual reduction in other air pollutants valued at €550,000.

Following the commitment in the programme for Government, the Waste Action Plan for a Circular Economy, launched last September, sets out a clear roadmap for the introduction of the deposit return scheme for plastic bottles and aluminium cans in the third quarter of 2022. This process began with the launch of a public consultation on the design of a deposit return scheme for Ireland last October. I was heartened by the level of public engagement in this first part of the process, with the vast majority of the 364 submissions received in favour of the introduction of the scheme. It is clear that the public is very much behind the introduction of this scheme.

Officials are currently engaged in the next steps of the process. Bilateral discussions with a range of stakeholders have taken place and a stakeholder working group, consisting of beverage producers, retailers, environmental non-governmental organisations and waste collectors has been established to progress the design of the system. Colleagues from the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs in Northern Ireland have sat in on the working group discussions as observers.

Based on the work being carried out by this group, a second public consultation will be launched later this month. This will seek views on the preferred model of a scheme and invite submissions on the legislative parameters required for its introduction. Ireland has a well-established track record in using the extended producer responsibility model for dealing with various waste streams, including plastics and packaging, electrical appliances and batteries. This model is based on the polluter pays principle and I have stipulated that the deposit return scheme must similarly be producer-led and operated on a not-for-profit basis.The legislative basis for the delivery of a DRS will be provided through the transposition of the single use plastics directive. This will be done by the deadline of 3 July this year.

The DRS will complement other measures that we will be introducing under this directive in order to deal with a wide range of single use plastic, SUP, items, including the banning of SUP items such as straws, cutlery, plates, cotton bud sticks and balloon sticks. The Minister will also be introducing measures to significantly cut down on the number of SUP cups and food containers we use. These measures will include the introduction of levies, legislating to prohibit their unnecessary use and trialling the elimination of coffee cups entirely in selected towns with a view to eventually banning them at a national level. I will pick up the glass issue in my next contribution.

Paul Gavan (Sinn Fein)
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I thank the Minister of State for that lengthy response. I understand he will come back to me because he has not really answered the key questions. We know the Department was resistant to introducing the deposit return scheme. We know from freedom of information requests that were released to my colleague, Senator Boylan, that the Irish Government was instrumental in delaying this EU directive until 2029. This is where the Minister of State and the Green Party have to make a difference.

We spoke about ambition and it is crucial that glass is included in this deposit return scheme. I have cited best practice in the world and I could also cite what is happening in Lithuania, where they have reverse vending machines as a requirement for all rural shops to make sure there is no rural-urban divide. What has happened there is that the shops are now asking for those machines because they can see a commercial benefit to them. There is a host of best practice opportunities and my fear is that we will miss out on them. I am hoping the Minister of State will give us a clear and positive response that glass and the variable deposit scheme will be included. We will not get the opportunity to get this right again. It needs to happen now.

Joe O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Green Party)
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On the variable charge, I would suggest that there will be an opening for that point to be made in the consultation process that will be coming up.

On glass, many of the submissions received in the first round of public consultation on the introduction of the DRS called for glass to be included. The DRS facilitates a high rate of recyclability because the material collected in it is generally not contaminated. Ireland, through its bring bank collection system, already achieves a high rate of glass recycling. The most recent statistics show that we are achieving a rate of 82%. This well exceeds the EU target for 2030 of 75%. Our focus for glass should turn to reuse as this is further up the waste hierarchy, rather than recycling. Therefore, some form of DRS for glass which facilitates reuse rather than recycling may be looked at in the future. It is a question of the best approach to take and reuse is always better than recycling. We are doing so well on glass in Ireland that this is the area we want to look at for now in terms of glass. However, there are opportunities for other avenues to carry out recycling in the future as well.

Fintan Warfield (Sinn Fein)
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There are not enough glass recycling centres in Dublin. In many cases, residential glass ends up in public bins on streets.