Barry Ward (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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1090. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the position regarding the number of people in receipt of the basic income for artists payment, by county and by year since the launch of this payment, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19387/25]

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

The BIA was the number one recommendation of the Arts & Culture Recovery Taskforce out of the COVID-19 pandemic. The scheme opened for applications and the selection of recipients was made in 2022. Therefore there was no intake of applicants or selection of recipients in 2023, 2024 or 2025. Due to attrition, the total recipient cohort now numbers 1971.

The following table provides details of the geographic location of those who were selected and those who currently remain on the scheme, receiving the payment.

Barry Ward (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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1091. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the position regarding the median and average payment received by people in receipt of the of the basic income for artists payment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19390/25]

Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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The cost of Basic Income for the Arts (BIA) pilot scheme is €35m for a full calendar year, with each of the 2,000 recipients receiving €325 a week for the duration of the scheme (3 years). The amount paid to each recipient is the same for each person and therefore the median and the mean are €325 per week. €35m was allocated to the scheme in each of the years 2023, 2024 and 2025.

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 and produce more output than those on the control group, experience a boost to their wellbeing 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.

The data collected as part of the BIA research programme will provide the Government with the evidence base upon which to base future policy decisions about the Basic Income for the Arts.