Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 27 May 2020
1109. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if grant funding will be made available to performers and musicians for technical equipment to facilitate livestreaming and video editing; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8186/20]
View answerThe COVID-19 crisis gives rise to many challenges for the nation as a whole and is having an unprecedented impact on the on the arts, culture, heritage and Gaeltacht sectors. As part of its suite of responses to the COVID-19 situation, the Government issued guidance on returning to the workplace on 9th May. The 'Return to Work Safely Protocol' clearly and comprehensively sets out the steps and processes that businesses must take to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in the workplace. It is a matter for all employers to ensure their workplaces are safe for staff and customers alike . I am very aware that the reopening of arts and culture venues will pose challenges for many of these organisations.
In the interim, many artists are making their work available through a range of online platforms. In some instances this has been with support from my Department including under the Ireland Performs programme supported by Facebook and Culture Ireland. Under this initiative, 120 artists gave live performances online in recent weeks. All of these performances were delivered using only the artists' personal devices. In light of this, while my Department is currently examining its capital grant schemes for arts and culture organisations in the context of the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, supports of the type proposed are not envisaged at present.
