Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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75. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the position regarding the introduction of the artist basic income guarantee pilot scheme project; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13424/22]

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, recognising the value of the unpaid element of work that goes in to creative practice, to minimise the loss of skills from the arts as a result of the pandemic and to contribute to the growth of the sector. Fundamentally, it is to recognise the intrinsic value of the arts in Irish society.

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.