Minister pushes to retain basic income scheme for artists
It is understood that the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport Patrick O'Donovan is pushing to retain the basic income scheme for artists which is due to expire early next year.
The scheme has run for an initial three years and was due to expire in August but it has been extended to February 2026.
Two thousand artists, selected by lottery, receive a basic income of €325 per week.
Officials from the Department of Culture have been negotiating with their counterparts in the Department of Public Expenditure on a successor to the scheme.
Any further scheme would have to be agreed as part of the Budget negotiations.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin said he could not confirm if the scheme is being examined by Minister Jack Chambers with a view to bringing it to an end.
"It's been a good scheme, but what I can't do now is engage publicly in every iteration around negotiations around estimates," Mr Martin said.
The Programme for Government said that the scheme would be assessed to "maximise its impact".
It is understood that there has been some resistance from DPER to the scheme continuing in its current format, as originally reported in the Irish Daily Mail.
Mr O'Donovan is expected to push for another version of the scheme which his department believes has changed lives and delivered a huge social and cultural impact.
The Basic Income Scheme costs €35 million per year.
Labour has accused the minister of leaving artists in limbo.
Arts spokesperson Rob O'Donoghue said artists need security and not to have to worry about bringing the begging bowl back to the Government table.
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Sinn Féin has also called on the minister to develop a long-term follow on scheme and to expand its remit.
National Campaign for the Arts Maria Fleming said the Basic Income for Artists Scheme is vital for the artists who receive payments.
"It addresses the precarity of income for artists. The National Campaign for the Arts strongly believe the scheme should be retained, extended and expanded," she said.
Ms Fleming told RTÉ News the scheme "is not a luxury item, but essential for supporting artists."
The current scheme pays €325 per week to around 2,000 artists.
They were selected for admission to the scheme from a total of 8,000 applicants who applied when it was set up on a pilot basis in 2021.
The National Campaign for the Arts said they would like to see all those who originally applied to now be included.
"We certainly want an increase in the number on the scheme. We'd love to see all those 8,000 people, who were eligible to apply for the pilot scheme to now get the basic income," Ms Fleming said.
She also pointed out that Ireland is the first country in Europe to have such a scheme.
