Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 1 October 2020
6. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Media, Tourism, Arts, Culture, Sport and the Gaeltacht the steps she plans to take to ensure the long-term survival of the tourism, arts, culture and sport sectors here in view of the serious effects the Covid-19 pandemic is having on society; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26626/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraUnfortunately, it would appear that Covid-19 is going to be with us not only for this year but probably well into next year and until we find a vaccine. This is having a significant effect on the arts, entertainment events, tourism and sport. What long-term plans are there to support these sectors? I can understand that during the early phases of the pandemic there was emergency planning, but we need a long-term plan for the tourism, sport, arts, culture and events sectors.
The tourism, arts, culture and sport are integral parts of the fabric of society, supporting economic activity and physical and societal well-being. The public facing and audience driven nature of those sectors means that each time there is an escalation for any county in the level applicable under the living with Covid plan those sectors will be hardest hit. The Government is acutely aware of these challenges.
The need for important public health measures, such as social distancing, has placed necessary limits on gatherings to protect public health. This has had a devastating impact, which the Government and I, as Minister with responsibility for tourism, culture, arts, the Gaeltacht, sports and media, have sought to address in a range of ways. Some key measures have been introduced to help support the tourism, arts, culture and sports sectors, including an additional €25 million for the Arts Council, a €5 million live events pilot grant scheme, €5 million to support national cultural institutions and nationwide arts infrastructure, the stay and spend tax credit initiative, a €26 million adaptation grant for the tourism sector, a €10 million grant for coach tourism, €40 million for the three main field sport its bodies, the GAA, IRFU and FAI, and a €15 million resilience fund for sports governance bodies and clubs.
The universal income support of PUP and the wage subsidy scheme have been key to supporting sectors through this crisis and the extension of these schemes has provided certainty for the coming months. My officials and I are in regular contact with stakeholders and representatives in all of the sectors for which I have responsibility. I have established a number of sector specific task forces. I have considered the views and recommendations of these task forces in the context of budget 2021 and the development of the national economic plan, and will review and refine existing support as required. I intend to continue this collaborative process with stakeholders in order to ensure the sectors remain viable and resilient as we continue to deal with the Covid-19 pandemic.
We have become an expert in this country in setting up some type of group with a wide remit and waiting for a report if we do not want to solve a problem. While we wait for the report, nothing happens.
This is an urgent issue. The budget is only a few weeks away. Can the Minister confirm that some certainty will be brought to this wide range of sectors in the budget? Will provision be made, not just for a month or two but in the medium term, to ensure the survival of these vital parts of our society?
Anybody who owns a tourism business will tell us that international tourism has already been wiped out for 2021 because there is no certainty about how people can enter the country. There are no bookings. The new tax break that was introduced has now collapsed because under the new restrictions people are cancelling or are not making bookings. Nobody is availing of the scheme, other than those who can go to a local restaurant if it is open. At the moment, nobody is doing that even in places that have not been locked down. What has been done is okay, but we need a much bigger long-term plan.
I thank the Deputy. That is why I feel task forces are key to this. My engagement with people across my Department brief has shown me that they want to have a say. The arts task force, chaired by Claire Duignan, met for the first time last week and is due to report on 31 October which is obviously post budget. That is why in the first meeting I attended last week I asked it to give me its key priorities before the budget so that I can use that information to feed into my negotiations.
On the tourism recovery task force, that landed on my desk this week and it is key in the budget negotiations. The Government is fully aware that, given the social nature of such gatherings, tourism, arts, and culture were the sectors first affected by the pandemic and may be the last to return to normal. We must find a way to get our performers singing again and help them. Our pilot €5 million live performance support scheme assists that and has worked really well.
I am glad that the Minister has set deadlines for the report of the task force. I regret that it was not done in time for her to receive all the task force reports not just a week or two before the budget but well in advance of it. Better late than never.
I still wish to stress the fact that we are getting stopgaps, pilot schemes and so on. We need some medium-term planning and certainty for all of sectors, including sports, events, and the arts. Some are largely State funded and have funds in the kitty. Some are totally commercial and are facing catastrophic situations. I look forward with interest to the budget. I hope it delivers. We do not need sticking plasters. The budget needs to deliver medium-term planning and the finance to back that up. Can the Minister assure me that will happen?
I can assure the Deputy that my Department and I are engaging closely with the sectors and, in the context of the budget, we are very aware of the demands. Waiting for the task force report does not preclude us from taking immediate measures. For example, the live performance scheme involved an allocation of €5 million. My Department developed the conditions of the scheme in consultation with the sector, with particular assistance from EPIC. The initial closing date was 24 August and by that date more than 100 applications had been received, requesting funding of over €15 million.
The main objective of the scheme is the provision of employment for artists, creative technicians and their support. That is just one element. The task forces will also feed into the national economic plan which will come after the budget, and will in turn feed into a long-term plan. The July stimulus package was part one, and we will then have the budget and the national economic plan. Ongoing consultation and engagement is key to how we get that roadmap in place and identify the supports that are needed so that they can feed into the negotiations.
