Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 15 June 2021
515. Deputy Imelda Munster asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media the amount of core, Covid-19 and Brexit funding her Department has received for 2021; and the additional funding her Department has received under the Economic Recovery Plan announced on 1 June. [31079/21]
View answerThe gross total allocation for my Department in 2021 is €1,081,818,000. Details of all allocations are set out by programme area and by subhead in the Revised Estimates Volume 2021 (REV2021) published by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform on its website at www.gov.ie/en/collection/e20037-revised-estimates.
REV2021 allocations recognise the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the sectors under the aegis of my Department as well as the impact of BREXIT – they also reflect the commitments contained in the Programme for Government – Our Shared Future . However, there is no specific categorisation of funding allocations within programme areas other than by subhead.
A number of schemes will be implemented in 2021 in direct response to the COVID-19 Pandemic. These include:
€50m in respect of a Business Continuity Fund being administered by Fáilte Ireland;
€50m in respect of a variety of supports for the Live Entertainment sector including a 2021 iteration of the very successful 2020 Pilot Live Performance Support Scheme (LPSS) and the recently announced Music and Entertainment Business Assistance Scheme (MEBAS); and
€15m in supports for sports and recreation services via Sport Ireland.
The Government's response to the impact of the pandemic on the sector and the economy generally is comprised of a broad range of supports delivered across a range of Departments. In addition to direct intervention measures introduced by my Department the Government has ensured the availability of horizontal supports that are critical to the survival of many in our sectors. These include the Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP), the Employment Wage Subsidy Scheme (EWSS), the COVID-19 Restrictions Support Scheme (CRSS) and the Small Business Assistance Scheme for Covid (SBASC), all of which continue to be key to supporting all sectors thorough this crisis.
The recently announced Economic Recovery Plan sets out a framework for recovery as we emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic, and pays particular attention to sectors most impacted, such as tourism and hospitality, live events and the arts. Under the Plan, the period during which a range of horizontal and business supports will be available to enterprises and workers in all sectors of the economy, including Tourism, Arts and Culture, Sport, Media and those working in Gaeltacht communities has been extended.
In addition to horizontal supports, the Economic Recovery Plan includes a package of sectoral supports for the Tourism, Live Events and the Arts and Culture which include the following:
A separate €11.5m new fund for the entertainment industry, including festivals, conferencing and large events has been agreed between myself and the Tánaiste Leo Varadkar. This Events Sector Covid Support Scheme will support SMEs that are not eligible for the CRSS;
A commitment for Government to prioritise a Basic Income guarantee pilot scheme for artists. This was a key recommendation of the Arts and Culture Recovery Taskforce, and I will bring forward a proposal following the report of the Arts and Culture Recovery Oversight Group in July;
An Extension of the 9% VAT rate to September 2022. This will continue to act as a stimulus for the sector as it moves towards recovery;
The continuation of the Fáilte Ireland Business Continuity Scheme, to support businesses not covered by the CRSS; and
An extension of the commercial rates waiver to September 2021.
These supports will augment the work already being undertaken by Údarás na Gaeltachta, Fáilte Ireland, and Screen Ireland in supporting Gaeltacht companies, the Tourism and Hospitality sector, and the audiovisual industry to withstand the full impact of the pandemic and position them for growth in the coming years.
