Minister Catherine Martin publishes a progress report on the Arts and Culture Recovery Taskforce recommendations

Arts Council of Ireland - An Chomhairle Ealaíon,
06 January 2022, Ireland

The Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Catherine Martin TD, welcomed the publication of a report from the Oversight Committee set up to appraise progress on the implementation of the recommendations made in the “Life Worth Living” Report from the Arts and Culture Recovery Taskforce.

It has been widely acknowledged that the impact of COVID-19 on the arts and culture sector has been more detrimental, and will last longer, than in nearly any other sector. Minister Martin established the Arts and Culture Recovery Taskforce in 2020 as a response to the pandemic, and to provide a platform for solution-focused recommendations for the recovery of the arts and culture sector.

75% of the ten Recommendations made have been implemented, 21% are in progress and 4% have been closed. The number one recommendation of the taskforce was the introduction of a basic income for the arts pilot scheme (BIA). €25m has been allocated to pilot the BIA in 2022 which is a key priority for Minister Martin. Significant work has been done to realise this as a practical and substantial support for the arts and cultural sector, with a stakeholder forum held on the 15th of December to inform key policy areas of the Scheme. The Basic Income for the Arts pilot scheme will be launched early in 2022.

https://www.gov.ie/en/press-release/a83f6-minister-catherine-martin-publishes-a-progress-report-on-the-arts-and-culture-recovery-taskforce-recommendations/