Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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310. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the total spend of the €20 million allocated to the live performance support scheme 3 to support events planned for December 2021 and January 2022; and the amount of the allocation that was not spent. [10990/22]

Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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313. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the reason artists, performers and producers are still waiting for funding secured under live performance support scheme 3 to reach them; and when they will receive this vital funding. [10993/22]

Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats)
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318. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if he will provide an update on the roll-out of the live performance support scheme 3, including the amount of funding allocated as of 21 February 2022; and the timeline for the distribution of remaining funding. [11118/22]

Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 310, 313 and 318 together.

As part of the €50 million suite of supports announced for live performance sector in 2022, the Live Performance Support Scheme Phase 3 (LPSS3) opened for applications on December 20th.  This scheme is to support events which were due to be staged in December 2021 and January 2022 and had to be curtailed, cancelled or rescheduled due to the restrictions on audience capacity at live performances at 50% and a closing time of 8pm. LPSS 3 was open for applications from established producers, promoters and venues, including nightclubs that produce live performances.

LPSS3 closed for applications on 19^thJanuary with a total of 128 applications submitted. Applications continue to be assessed.  To date over €6.1 million has been offered in grants to successful applicants. The payments process for this scheme has also commenced, and payments are being made as a matter of priority where complete documentation has been submitted by the applicants.

Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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311. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the total spend of the €5 million allocated to the seasonal musical theatre and pantomime scheme; and the amount of the allocation that was not spent. [10991/22]

Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party)
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I was very cognisant of the challenges the restrictions caused for the arts/culture and live entertainment industry in 2021 and I provided grants of over €55m to support the sector and drive employment opportunities for artists and crews, through the introduction of the following schemes:

- Live Performance Support Scheme (LPSS)

- Events Sector Covid Support Scheme (ESCSS)

- Local Live Performance Support Scheme (LLPSS)

- Music and Entertainment Support Scheme (MEBAS)

- Commercial Entertainment Capital Grant Scheme (CECGS)

- St. Patrick's Festival

In December I also launched the LPSS 2 as a dedicated stream of funding to support large scale Seasonal Musical Theatre and Pantomime productions being staged during November and December 2021 which were impacted by Covid restrictions.

This scheme closed for applications on 31 January and a number of applications are still under consideration as further information on the applications has been sought.  To date, grants of €2.6 million have been offered and payments of almost €1 million have been processed.  Payments will continue to issue in accordance with matured liabilities.

Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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312. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the reason the minimum amount allocated to the live performance support scheme 4 for 2022 was reduced from €14 million to €10 million in press releases issued by her from 8 December to 20 December 2021; the reason the promise to roll-out the scheme in January 2022 in time to support performances from February has not been kept; and the timeline, structure and final budget allocation envisaged for LPSS 4. [10992/22]

Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats)
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317. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if he will provide an update on the roll-out of the live performance support scheme 4, including the funds to be allocated; and the timeline for the distribution of funding. [11117/22]

Emer Higgins (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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326. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht when the recipients of the Live Performance Support Scheme 4 can expect to receive funding; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11217/22]

Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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335. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht when the live performance support scheme No. 4 will be open to new entrants; when the closing date will be; and the timeframe that will be covered by this scheme. [11692/22]

Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 312, 317, 326 and 335 together.

Throughout the pandemic I have been very cognisant of the challenges the restrictions caused for the arts, culture and live entertainment industry and I remain committed to supporting musicians and artists throughout these difficult times.  My Department has met with stakeholders regularly, most recently on Friday last, to understand these challenges and put in place appropriate supports for the sector.

A €50 million suite of supports will be provided for the live performance sector in 2022 including;

- €5m for the LPSS 2 to support pantomime and seasonal musical theatre impacted by the Covid restrictions in place in December and January.

- €20 million allocated for the LPSS 3, another strand of the Live Performance Support Scheme to support events which were due to be staged in December 2021 and January 2022 and have been curtailed, cancelled or rescheduled due to the restrictions on audience capacity at live performances at 50% and a closing time of 8pm.

- €4m allocated for another round of the MEBAS (Music and Entertainment Business Assistance Scheme) scheme due to be announced shortly, this scheme is specifically to support small music and entertainment businesses which do not operate out of a rateable premises;

- €5m for Local Authorities to support local artists and performances through the LLPSS (Local Live Performance Support Scheme).  This scheme in particular has provided thousands of hours of employment for local musicians, artists and crews.

- €5m to continue the capital supports scheme (CECGS) to venues, including for ventilation upgrades and other COVID adaptations. This scheme opens for applications today.

- €1m for the Saint Patrick's Festival 2022

The change in the proposed allocations for a further round of LPSS was due to the fact that during December  I decided to allocate €4m to the 2022 MEBAS scheme. This followed ongoing consultation with the sector in which a clear demand for a second MEBAS scheme emerged.

My Department has continued to examine the supports in place for the sector to ensure that available resources are best deployed to ensure a full recovery is possible, in the context of the full reopening of the sector as of 22 January.  In relation to a further round of the Live Performance Support Scheme I expect to make an announcement shortly on this matter.

Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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314. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht when the guidelines for the basic income for artists pilot scheme will be published. [10994/22]

Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party)
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The Basic Income for the Arts Pilot scheme will run over a three year period and the intention is to research the impact a basic income would have on artists and creatives work patterns by providing the opportunity to focus on their practice, and to minimise the loss of skills from the arts as a result of the pandemic and to contribute to the sectors gradual regrowth post pandemic.

Stakeholder engagement has been core to the policy development process and this has included a stakeholder forum on 15 December 2021, where over 150 participants from 50 artists and arts workers resource and representative bodies came together to discuss the proposal.  Following that forum I held a public consultation throughout the month of January. 

The purpose of the consultation was to ensure that the general public, artists, and those working in the arts and culture sector have the opportunity to contribute to policy development for the pilot scheme and to offer suggestions from their experiences as artists, arts workers, and members of resource organisations on key issues such as the scheme's objectives, eligibility criteria, supporting emerging artists and participant responsibilities.

The public consultation has closed and my Department received a significant number of submissions, reflecting the high level of interest in this new policy intervention. A report on the consultation is currently being prepared and will be published shortly. 

Given the significant level of interest, the Deputy will appreciate that I need to take sufficient time to adequately consider the feedback of the sector through the consultation as I finalise the eligibility criteria for the pilot scheme.

Such a significant policy intervention takes time to operationalise. That process is ongoing and I expect to make an announcement in the coming weeks on this matter including details on when the guidelines will be made available.

Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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315. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht when the list of recipients of the commercial entertainment capital grant scheme will be published. [10996/22]

Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party)
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The list of recipients of the Commercial Entertainment Capital Grant Scheme was published and is available under the heading ‘13. Cultural Development Expenditure at the following link: gov.ie/en/publication/b1eab-creative-arts-grants-and-funding-previous-schemes/.

The Grant scheme will  be reopening today 1 March 2022. Guidelines for CECGS 2022 are available online here: gov.ie/CECGS2022