Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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82. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the steps she has taken to pursue a basic minimum income for members of the artistic and cultural communities; and her current proposals on the matter. [21793/21]

Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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106. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht when the basic income for artists will be delivered; the stage the proposal is at; and if she will ensure that this provides artists and arts workers with the living wage. [21951/21]

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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122. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the engagement she has had with the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment with regard to the recommendation by the Arts and Culture Recovery Taskforce to pilot a universal basic income scheme for a three-year period in the arts, culture, audio-visual and live performance and events sectors; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [21871/21]

Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 82, 106 and 122 together.

The Arts and Culture Recovery Taskforce report titled Life Worth Living, was published in November 2020 and made ten recommendations for the sector. The recommendations included a proposal to pilot a universal basic income scheme for a three-year period in the arts, culture, audiovisual and live performance and events sectors. The Taskforce was of the view that a pilot basic income would keep the sector intact, minimising the loss of skills and contributing to its gradual regrowth, with ongoing benefits: social and economic, local and national.

I believe the arts sector represents an appropriate area for a pilot basic income scheme for many reasons. It is characterised by low, precarious and often seasonal income. Artistic and creative work is intrinsically valuable to society; it includes a broad mix of employment types. This is an exciting proposal and has been the subject of positive commentary both nationally and internationally. We can now work to see how it can be enhanced.

I have established an Oversight Group with the remit of addressing the recommendations of Life Worth Living and particularly those which are outstanding. The membership of the Group is drawn from departments and agencies which have the ability and wherewithal to make appropriate progress on the outstanding recommendations, and to whom recommendations of the Taskforce are addressed.

The Oversight Group is being chaired by my Department joined by representatives of the Departments of Finance, Social Protection, Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Public Expenditure and Reform as well as Enterprise, Trade and Employment. The Directors of the Arts Council and Screen Ireland are also members and they will be joined by a representative of the County and City Managers Association.

I have asked the Oversight Group to prioritise the examination of Recommendation 1, a basic income for artists. I have engaged with relevant Ministerial colleagues on this matter and they have indicated their support for developing proposals. This would be independent of the work of the Low Pay Commission which has been tasked by my colleague, the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, to examine the Programme for Government commitment to pilot a Universal Basic Income within the lifetime of this Government commitment. I intend therefore to proceed with the development of proposals for a basic income for artists as a matter of priority.

Separately, the Programme for Government contained a commitment to request the Low Pay Commission to examine Universal Basic Income, informed by a review of previous international pilots, and resulting in a universal basic income pilot in the lifetime of the Government.

The Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment has requested the Low Pay Commission to examine the commitment in the Programme for Government and the Commission has agreed that this request will form part of its workplan for 2021. The terms of reference for the study on Universal Basic Income are currently being finalised by the Commission and research is due to begin shortly.