Niamh Smyth (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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41. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the number of visual artists and writers to date that have availed of the pilot jobseeker's exemption scheme that was announced on 12 June 2017; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8395/18]

Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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Periods of unemployment can be a typical feature of their professions for writers and artists. They can go through fallow periods while, for example, they are building up their work and trying to establish themselves. A pilot initiative targeted at self-employed visual artists and writers was launched in June 2017. These professions can qualify for a jobseeker’s payment when they are unemployed in the normal way. The pilot is intended to assist those who apply to the Department for jobseeker’s allowance. A key feature of the initiative is that it acknowledges their status as self-employed artists or writers and gives them a 12 month window to focus on building up their work before they become subject to activation.

This initiative was a collaboration between my Department and what is now the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, with the support and advice of the Arts Council. We also consulted with the artists and writers professional bodies. Naturally there are safeguards in place to ensure that claimants are professional visual artists and writers. Applicants must satisfy all of the usual qualifying conditions for jobseeker’s allowance.

At the beginning of February 2018, there were 32 people in receipt of jobseeker’s allowance availing of the pilot initiative. The total numbers who have applied to date are not available. There are a number of reasons why any applicant might not qualify for jobseeker’s allowance, such as not satisfying the means test.

This also does not mean that there are only 32 professional visual artists or writers in receipt of jobseeker’s allowance. It simply means that there are 32 recipients of the payment who are availing of the pilot arrangements and therefore not party to the activation process for 12 months. The general population of jobseeker’s allowance recipients is not classified as to their occupation or profession so it is not possible to say how many writers or visual artists are in receipt of the payment.

The arrangements will be reviewed after 12 months and this review will take place later this year.