Aidan Farrelly (Kildare North, Social Democrats)
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296. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht his plans to continue funding for the basic income for the arts scheme announced as part of Budget 2025 beyond the current three-year pilot scheme; his plans to establish permanency in respect of this funding; if it will apply to the same cohort of artists who are currently recipients of the payment or if there will be a new application process for all eligible artists; if the scheme be expanded to assist recipients outside of the pilot scheme; the timeline for when applications will be invited from interested artists; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10525/25]

Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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The Programme for Government commits to assessing the Basic Income for Artists pilot research scheme to maximise its impact. The Basic Income for the Arts pilot research scheme will conclude in August 2025 and the data from the pilot will feed into Government consideration of the next steps. Recipients have been receiving payment and responding to surveys under the scheme since August 2022.

In Budget 2025, Government made an allocation of €35 million for the Basic Income for the Arts in 2025. It is important to note that the pilot is a research programme and that no decision has been taken as to the continuation of BIA, and that the research evaluating the impact of the pilot scheme is ongoing.

While the research phase of the pilot scheme is still ongoing, it is clear from evidence collected to date under the scheme that it is having a positive impact on participants. The latest data is available through published reports on the Basic Income for the Arts website on Gov.ie.

This data shows that the BIA payment is having a consistent, positive impact across almost all indicators - affecting practice development, sectoral retention, well-being, and deprivation. Artists in receipt of the support are typically able to devote more time to their art, experience a boost to their well-being through greater life satisfaction and reduced anxiety, and are protected from the precariousness of incomes in the sector to a greater degree than those who are not receiving the support.

A Government decision will be required on a successor scheme to the pilot, and the future of the BIA will be decided when the final results of the research are available which will provide the Government with the evidence base upon which to base future policy decisions about the Basic Income for the Arts.