Seán Canney (Galway East, Independent)
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73. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht her plans to appoint a nominee from the commercial live events sector onto the Arts and Culture Recovery Taskforce; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25712/20]

Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party)
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I recently met with the Events Industry Alliance (EIA) which is composed of the Music and Entertainment Association of Ireland, the Event Production Industry COVID19 working group (EPIC), the Association of Irish Festival Events, the Association of Irish Stage Technicians, the Event Industry Association of Ireland as well as the Event Industry Ireland (EII), Irish Showman’s Guild (ISG), Entertainer’s Ireland Stand Together (EIST) and Irish Inflatables Hirers Federation (IIHF) groupings.

At this meeting, I heard first hand the concerns of the events industry which includes the commercial live music performance sector. I am eager to get our musicians, our performers and all their behind-the-scenes technical support people back to earning a living and doing what they do so well.

In announcing members of the Arts and Culture Recovery Taskforce, I have included representation from the Events Industry Alliance . The taskforce will prepare a report including a set of recommendations on how best the arts and culture sector can adapt and recover from the unprecedented damage arising from the Covid-19 pandemic. The sector includes culture, the arts, the audio-visual industry and the live entertainment industry. I look forward to receiving the Taskforce report.