Arts Policy

Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 26 January 2023

Thursday, 26 January 2023

Questions (18, 19, 32, 67, 70)

Seán Haughey

Question:

18. Deputy Seán Haughey asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media the number of artists in Dublin Bay north that are in receipt of the basic income for the arts scheme. [3572/23]

Christopher O'Sullivan

Question:

19. Deputy Christopher O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media the number of artists in Cork south-west who are in receipt of the basic income for the arts scheme. [3555/23]

Cormac Devlin

Question:

32. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media the number of artists in Dún Laoghaire that are in receipt of the basic income for the arts scheme. [3557/23]

Niamh Smyth

Question:

67. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media the number of artists in counties Cavan and Monaghan that are in receipt of the basic income for the arts scheme. [3553/23]

Michael Moynihan

Question:

70. Deputy Michael Moynihan asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media the number of artists in Cork north-west who are in receipt of the basic income for the arts scheme. [3549/23]

Written answers

Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media

I propose to take Questions Nos. 18, 19, 32, 67 and 70 together.

The Basic Income for the Arts (BIA) pilot is 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 having commenced in October.

This is a research project and the main element of the research programme is a longitudinal study with the same survey being delivered every 6 months for 3 years. The data collected as part of the research will inform future Government policy in relation to how best to support artists.

2,000 recipients will be 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).

Over 9,000 applications were made under the scheme with over 8,200 assessed as eligible according to the published guidelines for the scheme. Eligible applications were then included in a randomised anonymous process to select the 2,000 BIA recipients and the control group of 1,000 participants. This process was overseen by EY acting as an independent verifier.

The 2,000 recipients include representatives from all art forms, age groups, ethnicities and counties.

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. 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.

For geographical breakdown, applicants were asked to specify which county or area of Dublin they live in and (in an optional question) whether they live in an urban or rural setting. Overall, almost two thirds of applicants live in urban areas, while a little more than one third live in rural areas. They were not asked to specify their electoral constituency.

The geographical breakdown information I can give is as follows:

21 recipients of the Basic Income payment stated on their application that they are from county Cavan and 14 are from county Monaghan.

There are 211 recipients in total who are based in county Cork. 91 of these county Cork based recipients described where they live as Rural and 116 described their location as Urban. 4 did not specify.

Applicants in Dublin provided information of their postal district. The total of BIA recipients who are based in Dublin is 765.

The BIA research will examine, over a three-year period, the impact of a basic income style payment on artists and creative arts workers. I have established the scheme very firmly as a research project so that an evidence base can be developed around the impact of the policy. I am very grateful to all the applicants who agreed to participate in the control group; being able to compare and track their careers against those who will receive the BIA will be essential in demonstrating the impact of the payment on artists and their creative practices.

Participants will be surveyed at least twice a year. Focus groups, interviews and seminars will also happen to collect more qualitative data on how the scheme is impacting participant’s lives. Baselining research information has been received from recipients who have accepted their place on the scheme.

The BIA makes a strong statement at home and abroad about the value that Ireland as a nation places on artistic practice both for its intrinsic value and in terms of our personal and collective wellbeing, and also in terms of its importance to our identity and cultural distinctiveness on the global stage.

The Government wants to give recognition to the value of the arts and the role of creative practice in Irish society. I believe that the Basic Income for the Arts pilot scheme is a once in a generation, transformational measure in the funding of the arts in Ireland.

Question No. 20 answered orally.