Thousands of artists will receive a weekly income of €325 per week under a new scheme launched by the Government this afternoon.
The Basic Income for the Arts pilot scheme will be available to 2,000 musicians, artist and other creatives over a three year period, guaranteeing a fixed income for those struggling in an industry where many are below the poverty line.
Culture Minister Catherine Martin hailed the scheme as "a new era" for the arts in Ireland at its launch at the Project Arts Centre in Temple Bar earlier today.
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She said: "As our artists and creative professionals emerge from the devastating impact of the pandemic, the Government is committed to providing an unprecedented level of support as they seek to rebuild their livelihoods.
"I want the arts not just to recover, but to flourish. That is why I secured funding to help realise this scheme, which was a key priority for me in the Budget."
The basic income scheme was the number one priority identified by the Arts and Culture Recovery Task Force, which was set up by Minister Martin in 2020 to examine how the sector could recover from the devastating impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Taoiseach Micheal Martin described the plan as "truly transformative" for the arts in Ireland.
He said: "Ireland’s arts and culture in all its distinctiveness and variety is the well-spring of our identity as a people and is internationally recognised. The Basic Income for the Arts is a unique opportunity for us to support our artists and creatives in the sector and ensure that the arts thrive into the future."
The news has been welcomed by groups representing artists in Ireland.
Maureen Kennelly, Director of the Arts Council said: "Basic income aligns with the strategic priorities of the Arts Council. This is an innovative step towards enriching the cultural ecology in Ireland meaning the public will have more opportunities to enjoy high quality arts experiences.
"Artists from different social and demographic backgrounds will be more able to pursue a career in the arts. This is important because it means we get to hear a wider range of voices in the arts that better reflect contemporary Irish society."
Social Justice Ireland, who have been calling for Universal Basic Income for a number of years, welcomed the positive step.
Economic and Social Analyst, Colette Bennett, said: "The introduction of a Basic Income has been proven in other countries to be good for wellbeing, good for entrepreneurship, good for the environment, and not to have any negative impact on labour force participation.
"We expect that any evaluation of the current pilot will show similar benefits in an Irish context."
But the think tank also sounded a note of caution on the scheme.
“While this model will benefit certain groups, it is not a Universal Basic Income and does not replace the commitment made in the Programme for Government in this regard," said Ms Bennett.
“In Social Justice Ireland’s proposal to Government last year, we had set the level of payment at the standard social welfare rate. This would see participants in the pilot receive €208 per week at today’s rate.
"Once the pilot is proven effective, and we have no doubt that it will be, it can be scaled to more groups to provide real universal coverage. The rate used in this pilot, of €325 per week, would not, unfortunately, be scalable in the long-term. We therefore continue to call on Government to introduce a real Universal Basic Income for all.”
The successful participants will be chosen at random from all of the applications that are received.
Unsuccessful but eligible applicants will be invited to participate in a control group to evaluate the impact of the payment by comparing outcomes for those who received the it with a group who do not receive it over the same time period.
The scheme will open for applications on Tuesday, April 12 and close on Thursday, May 12.
Information on the eligibility criteria and how to apply for the pilot scheme can be found here.
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