I am pleased to inform the Deputy that the report of the arts and culture recovery task force, which was a commitment in the programme for Government, was published this week. The report included a recommendation that a universal basic income be piloted for a three-year period in the arts sector. I very much welcome this report and thank the task force members for their time, expertise and commitment. The task force has made ten recommendations to aid the survival of the sector during Covid-19 and beyond under thre…

I can speak to the recommendations as they came from this task force, which comprised a broad range of people involved in the screen sector, the artistic community, our cultural institutions and the live event industry. They identified ten key recommendations. The Deputy said the universal basic income was a well-established proposal, long before the pandemic, and would involve a tax-free payment to residents of the State without reference to their means or availability for employment. This would be a game changer …

I thank the Deputy. In the interim, I hope he would know that I announced the successful applicants from the €5 million pilot programme in the July stimulus package. I will roll out €50 million in the new year to help the sector. The amount was increased to €50 million because the €5 million programme received €16.5 million worth of applications. This money will support artists and those working in the live event industry. There is also unprecedented funding of €130 million for the Arts Council. We have assessed th…

In line with the commitment in the programme for Government, I established the arts and culture recovery task force to develop a clear approach, informed by the view of stakeholders, to protect and sustain the arts and culture sector through the Covid-19 recovery and beyond. The negative impact of the crisis on the arts, culture and live entertainment sectors has been well established and quantified over recent months in research undertaken by the Arts Council and my Department. As an artist himself and from our nu…

Under the heading Ensuring the Wellbeing of Ireland's Creative and Cultural Community, the task force report recommends the establishment of a programme to provide well-being supports to the creative sector. This is based on programmes such as Minding Creative Minds, an organisation established to offer a free 24-7 well-being and support programme for the Irish music sector. It provides access to an experienced team of trained counsellors and psychotherapists who can offer short-term intervention and advice coverin…

The case for a UBI was well established long before Covid. As I said earlier, those who create artistic or creative work where it is their chief occupation often experience income insecurity and cash flow problems. That was the case pre-Covid and it will be so post Covid. That financial stress can impede creativity. A 2018 review of pay and conditions in the performing arts by Theatre Forum found that 30% of artists and practitioners earn less than the national minimum wage and the circumstances in 2020, of course,…

I thank Deputy Munster for bringing forward this issue. I am acutely aware of the valuable source of reliable and trustworthy news that local radio offers in a time of uncertainty and with much disinformation in circulation. Local radio also plays an important role in bringing communities together, strengthening their bonds of solidarity and mutual support. I recognise the challenges faced by the sector due to Covid-19 and I am pleased the supports in 2020 have provided a valuable source of funding at this challeng…

I am engaging closely and directly with the stakeholders in this sector. I met with representatives of the Independent Broadcasters of Ireland on Monday last, 16 November. We had a productive discussion on the value of the supports the sector has received during 2020 and a follow-up meeting was held yesterday at official level. I also met with the National Union of Journalists, NUJ, on Tuesday, and my officials will continue the engagement with the NUJ. On the Deputy's question, local radio stations are in a positi…

In relation to the levy waiver, the BAI is statutorily independent in its functions, including the levy waiver. The Deputy indicated, and I am keenly aware from my engagement with them and the ongoing direct engagement of my officials with them, that they are in dire straits. As far as I am concerned, I am looking at all the options to support them. I have committed to that. That is why I am having that direct engagement with them.

Absolutely. The Deputy can let me know if she wants me to get the BAI to engage with her, if that helps. I can arrange that too.

Sorry, has the Deputy changed the question? The question I have before me relates to providing grants and supports to the self-employed and sole traders. I have no problem answering questions about the task force. I only want to know whether the Deputy wants that information as well.

On supporting, what is the exact question the Deputy wants me to answer today?

There are a wide range of supports available to the individuals and businesses whose financial circumstances have been negatively impacted by Covid-19. The particular support depends on the institutional arrangements of the individual or organisation and whether it is a sole trader or an incorporated entity. Detailed information on all supports is provided on gov.ie and a guide to business supports booklet giving details of the key supports and resources available to help businesses is available also. Businesses ma…

I am very aware there are those in the sector who cannot apply for the CRSS. We met with the Music and Entertainment Association of Ireland, MEAI, last week and we have met with representatives from EPIC. We have asked them to consider what changes could be made to the €5 million pilot scheme. That is not just a scheme, we have seen it up and running. Last weekend saw the first events from that €5 million and there will be many more over the coming weeks and covering the Christmas period. These include pantomimes, …

Many Deputies feel passionately about the arts, as Deputy Boyd Barrett does. To clarify, it is not my report nor the Department's; this report belongs to those who work in the community, from screen producers to the live events industry to the artists and the cultural institutions. It is their report. These are their recommendations which they have brought to me. It was part of the programme for Government commitment to set up that task force, which I very quickly did, and to get the report in a very quick timeline…

I propose to take Questions Nos. 8 and 61 together. While absolutely necessary to protect us all, the impact of the public health guidelines has been extremely challenging for the sectors supported by my Department. These sectors are integral to our society; supporting economic activity; and enhancing physical and societal well-being. The public-facing and audience-driven nature of those sectors means that each time there is an escalation in the level applicable under the Plan for Living with Covid-19, these sector…

I continue to monitor it through the ongoing engagement. It is absolutely critical to provide the correct supports, for example, the €50 million live events scheme, from which I hope some in the Deputy's constituency will benefit. We are tweaking what happened with the €5 million pilot scheme to find ways to reach those we did not reach. We are looking to see how best we can implement the tourism recovery task force but the Deputy can already see that we have brought in a fund in the budget to provide support for s…

Absolutely, and as a Minister I am keenly aware that we have to be ready if alarm bells ring. We are watching the situation and closely monitoring it. The officials are engaged, there is cross-departmental engagement and we will be ready to react if needs be. Hopefully this will not arise but we have to be ready.

The management of Shannon Heritage sites, including their opening arrangements, is an operational matter for Shannon Heritage and Shannon Group plc, which is a commercial State body under the aegis of the Department of Transport. As Shannon Group operates in both the aviation and tourism sectors, it has been severely impacted by Covid-19. With regard to tourism, budget 2021 included a number of substantial measures to support and strengthen the tourism sector and they are supplemented by the economy-wide business s…

With regard to Shannon Heritage specifically, a commitment was made by the Minister of State, Deputy Hildegarde Naughton, to provide funding to ensure that Bunratty Castle and Folk Park and King John's Castle, which were due to close at the end of August, could remain open until the end of 2020, subject to public health measures. It is open to Shannon Heritage to explore further the various support mechanisms now available to it, and I would encourage it to liaise with Fáilte Ireland on what State supports might be…