Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 25 October 2022
285. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media the number of the overall 8,206 eligible applicants for the basic income for the arts scheme and of the 584 recipients described under the category of music that supplied their form 11 or other proof of registration Revenue Commissioners as proof of their artistic practice. [53467/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe delivery of the basic income for the arts pilot scheme is a key priority for me as Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media. I was delighted to be in a position to deliver on this initiative which was the number one recommendation from the Arts and Culture Recovery Taskforce which I established in 2020 to examine how best to support the arts in recovering from the pandemic.
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.
There were over 9,100 applicants for the scheme, just over 8,200 of those were eligible for selection. There was a very wide variety of ways in which an applicant could prove their eligibility for the scheme when making an application. These evidences were grouped into three categories and applicants had to provide two pieces of evidence from the three categories. Aside from proof of membership of a relevant resource, a further 32 items were listed under these categories to assist applicants in demonstrating their eligibility. The three categories were:
1. Evidence of membership of a relevant resource or art form representative body, and/or;
2. Proof of income from their work as an artist or a creative arts worker (within the last 5 years), and/or;
3. Proof of active engagement within their creative field/art form (within the last 5 years).
For the second category "Evidence of remuneration" applicants could provide a Form 11 or any of the following:
- contract for service related to creative work
- public funding for creative practice, for example: Arts Council, Screen Ireland, Local Authority or other recognised arts organisation
- grant award from a recognised arts organisation based in Ireland or abroad
- received royalties for work
- commissioned to make work
- sales of work
- existing Artists’ Tax Exemption with Revenue
- received Artists’ Job Seekers Allowance
- other proof of income from creative practice
While many applicants will have given a Form 11 as one of their two evidences, it was not mandatory to provide a Form 11 and the application system does not provide data on how many applicants used a Form 11. Assessors reviewed the evidence provided by each candidate and if it was in line with the terms and conditions of the scheme guidelines the application would have been marked as eligible and included in the selection process.
The selections for the BIA were announced in September and payment will commence shortly.
