Malcolm Byrne (Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Feighan, for taking this issue. As we know, during past two years, among those who have been most heavily affected and impacted have been our artists, musicians and those who are involved in the events and creative sectors. It is not just because of a loss of income, but for many of them being unable to perform or engage in artistic works has impacted as well on their identity. It is important that this scheme is right.

I know that it is a commitment of the programme for Government. It is something the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Deputy Catherine Martin, is personally very keen on and, indeed, across the House the support for the arts is very visible. I am aware the Minister set aside €25 million for the scheme this year. I am hoping the Minister of State, Deputy Feighan, will be able to provide us with some updates on the scheme. I genuinely believe that if we get this scheme right in terms of supporting artists and we can pass out the intermittence du spectacle scheme that operates in France to support artists, it could be, perhaps, the most revolutionary scheme since Charles Haughey introduced the tax exemption scheme for artists during the 1960s. It could help to cement Ireland's reputation as a cultural and creative centre.

Consultation took place with a number of arts groups in December and there was an online consultation that took place in January. There is real anticipation among the arts and creative communities around trying to get answers now on how this scheme will operate. I hope the Minister of State will be able to give us details on the plan's roll-out. The indication was that it would be in early 2022. Do we have a timeframe?

Have we, as yet, any indication of who will be covered? The arts and creative industries, as the Minister of State knows, are quite broad, and I would be keen to include dance teachers and choreographers who are working around the country. A very broad range of individuals, including musicians, drama directors, set designers and costume designers, are involved in the arts and creative sectors.It is important for the scheme to be a success that it tries to be as broad as possible. Is there any update with regard to the selection process? How is it determined who is going to qualify for this scheme? How will it be qualified? Will there be an appeals mechanism for those who are refused?

I do not know whether the Department has yet measured the level of interest. I can only know by talking to arts organisations and others that there is huge enthusiasm about this. If there is anticipation of the level of interest, and while we do not want to raise too many expectations, can we be certain we are going to meet some of the expectations that have been raised? Crucially also, how do we measure success? How do we know this scheme, which we all want to work, will be successful? For me, it is going to be that we are supporting artists during the fallow period when they are working on creating some of their work, but at the same time they need certainty of an income. What will the relationship be between the artist social welfare scheme that currently exists and this new basic income?

It is an exciting project but it is important we provide as much clarity as possible for those who are anticipating its introduction. The application process should be relatively simple but I would like to see it as a broad scheme, covering as wide a range as possible of those within the creative sector. I have raised this before with the Minister, Deputy Catherine Martin. She is equally enthusiastic, as I hope the Minister of State is. I hope in his response he will be able to give us some of those answers.

Frank Feighan (Sligo-Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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I thank Senator Byrne for raising this important matter. The basic income for arts pilot schemes will be delivered by my colleague, the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Deputy Catherine Martin. The arts and culture task force, established in September 2020, was tasked by the Minister with producing a report to include a set of recommendations on how best the arts and culture sector could adapt and recover from the unprecedented damage arising from the Covid-19 pandemic. The task force’s number one recommendation was to pilot a basic income scheme in the arts for a three-year period. As part of the economic recovery plan, the Minister secured Government commitment for the scheme. The Minister allocated €25 million as part of budget 2022 for the launch of the project.

To progress the pilot, the Minister established an oversight group tasked with appraising the recommendations set out in the Life Worth Living report and to advise on the manner in which the basic income for the arts would be delivered. The oversight group considered that the objectives of the pilot should include minimising the ongoing loss of skills in the arts sector, both artists and creative arts workers, and contributing to the sector's recovery post pandemic, with ongoing social, economic, local and national benefits.

The Minister published the report of the oversight group in January and recommended that the Department of Tourism, Arts, Culture, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media should take responsibility for the operational delivery of the pilot; that the Department should develop an ongoing research and evaluation programme for the duration of the pilot; that the pilot should focus on professional artists, including developing artists, to ensure artists have the opportunity to focus on their creative practice; that creative arts workers should be eligible, that is, those working in the sector who have an essential creative input into the final output of an artist's practice, for example, screenwriters and directors; that participation in the pilot should be a non-competitive process, which would mean once a person could satisfy the eligibility criteria, he or she would be included in a randomised selection process; and that a control group of unsuccessful but eligible applicants should be established to collect data to underpin a comprehensive ex postappraisal of the pilot.

These proposals were put by the Minister to a stakeholder forum last December which was attended by more than 150 artists and representatives from 50 resource and representative bodies from the arts sector. Following that, the Minister launched a public consultation on the pilot scheme during January. I understand the Department has received a significant number of submissions to the public consultation, reflecting the high level of interest in this new policy intervention. A report on the consultation will be released shortly and the Minister intends to consider the outcomes of that consultation as she finalises the pilot scheme. The purpose of the consultation was to ensure the public, artists and those working in the arts and culture sector have the opportunity to contribute to the policy development for the pilot on key issues such as objectives, eligibility criteria and how to support emerging artists.

Work on finalising the eligibility criteria and online application portal is progressing well on the basic income for the arts pilot. As the consultation process on the policy is just concluding, the launch date for the basic income for the arts pilot scheme has not yet been finalised, but the Minister intends to make an announcement in the coming weeks. The Minister is a fierce advocate for the value of the arts in this country and feels privileged, as Minister for Tourism, Arts, Culture, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, to be in a position to deliver this pilot and to have secured the Government’s commitment for a three-year basic income pilot scheme for the arts. The delivery of the pilot is a key priority for the Minister to underpin the recovery in the arts and culture sector and provide much-needed certainty to the artists and creatives who choose to avail of the pilot scheme.

Malcolm Byrne (Fianna Fail)
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I might suggest by the response, and I appreciate it has been provided to the Minister of State by the Department, that if this was a drama, he was trying to lead up to the denouement, because some of the language being used, such as "will be released shortly", "as she finalises the pilot scheme", "work on finalising is progressing well", "the policy is just concluding", and "has not yet been finalised but there will be an announcement in the coming weeks", provides us with these teasers that have been provided to us in many ways over the past year. It is important there is ongoing consultation with the sector so that the final scheme reflects the process of both the direct consultation and the online consultation. It is important, and I hope Deputy Feighan will bring this back to the Minister, that we get clarity on this very soon, and I will note her response in the coming weeks. It is also key, however, that we try to be as imaginative and ambitious with this scheme as possible. It will send out a very clear signal to our artistic and creative communities throughout the country of the importance of that sector and about how we recognise the contribution they make economically and socially to this country.

Frank Feighan (Sligo-Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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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.

Emer Currie (Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister of State. Is the Minister of State, Deputy Burke, available? No. We are going to change the order of the Commencement matters.

Rónán Mullen (Independent)
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He can take my matter if he wishes. On past performance it does not matter who does. It is not the Minister of State's fault.

Frank Feighan (Sligo-Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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No problem.

Rónán Mullen (Independent)
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There should be a penalty for bad art as well. With rights go responsibilities.

Emer Currie (Fine Gael)
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It is the Minister of State, Deputy Thomas Byrne.