Neale Richmond (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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1140. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if she will report on her Department's involvement in the basic income for the arts pilot scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30555/22]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The pilot basic income scheme for artists, which the Government launched in April, is a matter for my colleague the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media.  It is expected that there will be 2,000 participants on the pilot scheme which will run for three years.  My Department was represented on the Life Worth Living Taskforce and the associated technical sub-group.

It is important to stress that a payment under the pilot Basic Income for Artists is not a social protection or income support payment.  Rather it is a payment in recognition of the valuable contribution of the arts community and an incentive to encourage people to remain actively employed in the arts rather than seeking employment elsewhere.

Payments under the pilot scheme are income and will therefore be reckonable as income for the purposes of taxation.  I understand that recipients will be required to make annual self-employment returns to the Office of the Revenue Commissioners on that basis.

Similarly, my Department will treat income from the scheme as income from self-employment for the purpose of its various means tests.  The extent to which this income will have an impact on a person’s social welfare payment will depend on the means test for the scheme and the person’s individual circumstances.  For an artist on Disability Allowance with no other employment income, payment of the basic income would result in a 113% increase in their income without any secondary benefits being affected. 

I trust this clarifies the position for the Deputy.