Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 31 May 2022
210. Deputy John Lahart asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media the reason that voice coaches are specifically excluded from the new artists subvention scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27854/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Basic Income for the Arts pilot scheme will run over a three year period (2022 – 2025). Applications for the scheme closed on May 12th and the scheme was open to eligible artists and creative arts sector workers.
Eligibility is based on the definition of the arts as contained in the Arts Act 2003;
““arts” means any creative or interpretative expression (whether traditional or contemporary) in whatever form, and includes, in particular, visual arts, theatre, literature, music, dance, opera, film, circus and architecture, and includes any medium when used for those purposes”.
The overarching objective of the scheme is to address the earnings instability that can be associated with the intermittent, periodic, and often project-based nature of work in the arts. The scheme will research the impact on artists and creative arts workers creative practice of providing the security of a basic income, thereby reducing income precarity.
The following categories of applicants were eligible:
- Practising artists;
- Creative arts workers (see definition below), or;
- Recently trained applicants (within the last 5 years).
The key eligibility criteria is that applicants must either be an artist with their own creative practice or a creative arts worker who has a creative practice of their own which makes a key contribution to the production, interpretation or exhibition of the arts. Voice coaches, while providing an invaluable service to artists like actors and singers etc., were not considered eligible as they do not have a creative practice of their own but rather they provide training to artists. However, if for example a voice coach also worked as an actor, their acting work would make them eligible to apply.
