Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 18 January 2023
458. Deputy Jennifer Murnane O'Connor asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media the current uptake of the universal basic income pilot scheme for those working in the arts industry; if the scheme will be extended; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2030/23]
View answerThe Basic Income for the Arts (BIA) pilot was a key priority for me as Minister with responsibility for arts and culture. The pilot was the number one recommendation of the Arts and Culture Recovery Taskforce which I established in 2020 to examine how best to assist the sector to recover post-pandemic. I was very pleased to have been able to deliver on this recommendation with payments on the scheme now having commenced.
2,000 recipients are being paid €325 a week for three years. 1,000 control group members will be paid €650 per year to engage in the data collection. The scheme will cost €35m per year (€105m in total). The scheme is a pilot research scheme and is operating within a limited budget and it is not possible to fund more than 2,000 participants on the pilot scheme. All 2,000 places have now been allocated and accepted.
My Department received just under 9,100 applications for the scheme. Just over 8,200 of these were eligible, and all of these were included in the anonymous randomised selection process to select the 2,000 recipients and the 1,000 control group members. The selection process was overseen by EY acting as an independent verifier.
Research findings on the impact of the pilot on the individuals and their practices, the sector and ecology of the arts in Ireland will form part of the pilot also. While I have no plans to increase the number of participants in the pilot scheme, the research involved will inform future Government policy in the arts and has the potential to change the landscape of the arts in Ireland and how we fund it.
