Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 5 May 2022
17. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media the way her Department intends to ensure that those additional social welfare payments such as one-parent families or disability entitlements would not lose those payments should they be accepted on to UBI scheme for artists. [22182/22]
View answerEligibility for social welfare supports is a matter for the Minister for Social Protection.
I have been determined since the outset of the BIA pilot scheme that artists with disabilities would be in a position to participate to the greatest extent possible. Accordingly, my Department has worked with the Department of Social Protection, to establish that the payment will be treated as earnings from self-employment and can be taken into account in earnings disregards that applies to many social welfare payments including Disability Allowance and the One-Parent Family Payment.
Of course, each individual case will differ depending on other household income.
In the case of the Disability Allowance, it will be possible to for many people to avail of the basic income and retain social welfare benefits in addition to the moneys received from the BIA Pilot Scheme. As this will depend on each individual’s circumstances, applicants will need to engage with the Department of Social Protection on the matter. The Department of Social Protection published a guide to the Interaction of the Basic Income for the Arts Pilot Scheme with DSP Payments (www.gov.ie/en/publication/bd818-interaction-of-the-basic-income-for-the-arts-pilot-scheme-with-dsp-payments/#) on Gov.ie on 13 April to assist all applicants for BIA in receipt of DSP supports including those with disabilities.
My Department has met with representatives from the disabled artists community to examine how best we can make artists aware of the position established between my Department and DSP in respect of DSP supports. My Department also has a dedicated email address to answer any questions that applicants may have about any aspect of the Scheme to assist artists and creative arts workers with queries about the Scheme.
