Richard Boyd Barrett Challenges Government on Arts Crisis
Richard Boyd Barrett pressed the minister on the crisis facing the arts, music, live entertainment and events sector due to COVID-19 and demanded that income supports be maintained for artists, performers and crew. He warned that cuts to the pandemic unemployment payment (PUP) and tapering of TWIS would disproportionately harm musicians, performers and events workers.
Immediate concern
The deputy described an "absolutely dire crisis" for artists, performers and skilled crew, saying incomes have been devastated and there is no clear roadmap to recovery. He noted that some artists did not receive the pandemic payment because of episodic employment patterns.
Government response and supports
The minister said departmental officials have been actively engaging with the sector and agencies to ensure awareness and optimal use of available supports. He outlined that the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation has supports for firms - including grants, low-cost loans, write-off of commercial rates and deferred tax liabilities - and said two universal income support measures have been extended.
Cabinet role and economic planning
The minister told the Dáil he sits on the cabinet subcommittee for economic recovery and is pushing for sector measures in the forthcoming July stimulus. He also confirmed that a national economic plan will be published alongside the budget in October to set out longer-term support for the economy.
Sector requests and policy asks
Richard Boyd Barrett relayed the sector's calls for maintaining PUP at current levels and extending it to everyone in the arts, plus an extension of TWIS, a waiver of business rates and a cross-departmental task force. He raised demands for action on streaming revenues from platforms like Spotify and for broadcasters to carry a higher percentage of domestically produced drama (40-50%).
Funding and immediate concerns
The deputy welcomed an additional €25 million awarded after campaigning by the National Campaign for the Arts but warned reports of PUP being cut from €350 to €300 and a tapered TWIS would further punish artists, performers and crew. He urged that income supports be maintained as a basic income while other supports are developed.
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Minister, our arts, music, live entertainment and events sector is facing an absolutely dire crisis as a result of COVID-19, our artists, our performers, our skilled crew see no roadmap to recovery and have seen their incomes absolutely devastating. So what I want to know is what have you asked of your government colleagues in terms of the July stimulus to respond to the crisis being faced by arts, music, live entertainment and events? Thanks, Deputy Minister. Thank you, Deputy, and I agree that they have taken a massive hit, the entire arts community and those who work in it, and we actually, you know, the first impacted and the last maybe due to the very nature of their performance. and their life to get back in, so, and I actually think now more than ever we need our arts, it defines us as a people. Since the event of the crisis, officials from my department have been actively engaging with the sector and continuing to engage with the agencies under its remit and other sectoral stakeholders to ensure there's the greatest level of awareness of the supports that are available to ensure that optimal use is made of available resources to best support the sector at this challenging time. In relation to businesses involved in the entertainment industry, SMEs and sole traders, the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation has put in place a comprehensive suite of supports for firms of all sizes which includes grants, low-cost loans, write-off commercial rates and deferred tax liabilities. These supports are designed to build confidence to further assist businesses in terms of the management of their companies and to allow them to begin looking to the future and start charting a path forward for weeks and months ahead. The government has also extended its two universal income support measures for all sectors and further measures will also be set out in the forthcoming July stimulus which will build on the existing suite of supports introduced since the pandemic began and will aim to help sustain incomes, boost business and kickstart the various sectors. The government has furthermore committed to bringing forward a national economic plan to be published alongside the budget in October which will outline the government's plans to support the long-term sustainability of the economy. Details of the July stimulus will be announced shortly but I can assure the deputy that I am on that cabinet subcommittee for economic recovery and I am acutely aware of the pressure facing the sector in light of the public health guidance. So they have a voice at cabinet and they have a voice at cabinet subcommittee and I am acutely aware of their needs and I am pushing for everything in this July stimulus package. Well Minister, I certainly hope that is true and I think the arts, music, live entertainment and events sector will be watching closely to see if it is true. And while I welcome the fact that an additional 25 million was given in response to the campaigning by the National Campaign of the Arts and you allude to some supports for small businesses in the events sector, some of the signs are not very good. The truth is that the cuts in the PUP payment have already impacted very significantly on many artists, performers, musicians and so on. Some of them didn't even get the pandemic payment because they weren't working at the time even though it's obviously an episodic existence in terms of employment and income that was totally unfair. And we are getting indications that the government plans to cut the pandemic payment from €350 to €300 which will further punish people such as artists, performers, crew and so on who are dependent on that. So are you going to respond to the key call which is that the income supports should be maintained as a basic income for artists, for crew, for performers and musicians? Thanks Deputy Minister. Thank you Deputy. I am actually examining a whole suite of measures because I think it is a whole suite of measures that is needed to support this sector. As I have said my department has met with a wide range of stakeholders from across the arts and culture sector in recent months. I know the programme for government commits to establish that across the departmental task force to develop a clear approach informed by the views of all stakeholders to protect and sustain the arts and culture sector throughout COVID recovery and beyond which in turn will inform the national economic plan. But also our engagement with the live entertainment sector officials from my department have met with them and the sector have sought a range of supports including an extension of TWIS, a waiver of business rates and establishment of that cross departmental task force and I am considering as I said a whole suite of supports for them. Thanks Minister Deputy. Okay Minister you are slightly dodging the question because the reports are that the TWIS is going to be tapered, i.e. reduced, I love these euphemisms and that the pandemic payment is going to be cut. That is going to hit disproportionately the musicians, the performers, the live entertainment sector and the events sector. That payment should be turned into a minimum income above and beyond which people can earn something. Some of the other big requests that are being asked for is can we take measures to make sure that people like Spotify and other online content which is much artistic content is now online who pay miserable amounts of money even though they make huge profits they pay miserable amounts of money to the actual artists and performers. And can we ensure that broadcasters actually are required to broadcast a minimum percentage of 40 or 50% of domestically produced artistic theatrical drama output so that we can give real support. But critically the main demand of the sector is that the PUP payments are maintained and not cut and extended to everybody in the arts, music, live entertainment and events sector. Dept., you and theパテêter. Dept., kommd, G юmy. Dept., as I said, I am fighting for a whole range of supports. That specific matter is a matter for my colleagues at the department of Social Protection and the department of Finance and I am seeking all measures to support the community. In relation to the online content, it's not enough for people to say that we value our artists or they're invaluable to our economy and our well-being. We have to pay them for the content and I am working on a whole range of and have been engaging to see how we can do that because we must, in this context of COVID, explore and develop and pay our artists for new platforms to enjoy what they bring to society. But as I said, it's crucial that our artists are paid for what they provide us.
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