Minister for the Arts Patrick O'Donovan has publicly backed the retention of the Basic Income for the Arts scheme, saying its impact is "far-ranging and affects all aspects of recipients' lives".
A newly commissioned report published by the minister this morning looks at the experiences of more than 50 BIA recipients, who were interviewed by a sociologist to talk about the changes that the BIA has brought to their lives.
The report provides additional context to the data collected so far by the department as part of the BIA research programme, the minister said.
The scheme, which has been running since September 2022 on a three-year pilot timeframe, provides 2,000 artists and creative arts workers, who were selected randomly, with payments of €325 per week.
The report finds that participation in the scheme has been broadly welcomed by the artistic community, with recipients describing a range of impacts, including that the weekly financial support "significantly reduces financial anxiety and increases time for creative pursuits".
The interviews also demonstrate that recipients reported "greater artistic autonomy, self-efficacy and validation" through participation in the scheme.
Minister O'Donovan said that as the pilot ends later this summer, it was important to hear from the artists themselves and that he was "struck" by the stories collected in this report, adding that the paper "complements my department's research to date, which shows that the BIA payment is having a consistent, positive impact for those in receipt of it".
Mr O'Donovan also met with the National Campaign for the Arts last week to discuss the BIA and is aware that there is broad sectoral support for it.
The NCFA said that it "emphatically" supports the retention, extension and expansion of the BIA, recognising it as a "transformative policy" that empowers artists with meaningful financial stability.
It adds that the findings of the report demonstrate that the pilot scheme has supported artists to "secure more sustainable housing, address health issues, start families and even establish pension schemes".
The findings "affirm" what the arts sector has long known; that the "deep precarity of the arts requires sustained, courageous support - support that not only transforms the lives of artists, but also strengthens the society they help to shape," a spokesperson for the NCFA added.
The paper finds the stability of the payment has significantly reduced underlying financial stress and has allowed recipients to devote time to research and experimentation, which resulted in improved quality and opened new career trajectories.
The interviewees report a sense of legitimacy and validation and mentioned the importance of 'giving back' to their community.
"I am heartened by the responses of the Basic Income recipients in this paper," Mr O'Donovan said.
"This research will add to the evaluation being conducted by my department, which to date clearly shows that the Basic Income pilot has been an effective support for the artists in receipt of it. Per the Programme for Government, I will evaluate the data from the pilot and then bring proposals to Government about next steps."
The report was compiled by Dr Jenny Dagg, a sociologist lecturing in the Department of Sociology at Maynooth University.
The report's research including questions about how basic income support affects the financial stability of artists and creative workers, and it influences the well-being and mental health of artists.
Key impacts reported by participants illustrated income security and a rise in artistic output and quality.
Recipients acknowledged that the BIA payment makes them feel "legitimate" and validated and that being an artist is now a valid and valued profession.
One of the primary aims of the BIA pilot was to help artists deal with income instability and low pay within the sector.
The benefit is paid in monthly installments. The payment is a reckonable income for the purposes of tax and social protection payments and is treated as earnings from self-employment.
One of the negative aspects that the report reveals is that recipients with disabilities reported reductions to their medical and disability support as a result of accepting BIA, saying that there were new obstacles around accepting work that "impacts welfare thresholds."
"I think I'm eating better, I'm mentally better and it shows through my capacity to take on work and create more work, or to have time to think about it and read and inform myself better," said one recipient, who was identified as a dancer.
An older recipient said that as "56 going on 57 for the last couple of years", they now "believe in myself and what I do for the first time ever".
"It has taken me five and a half decades, but I believe in myself."
On 8 May, Mr O'Donovan said in the Dáil that the scheme had "proven its worth" and that he saw "retention of the scheme as a priority".
He said he would make an announcement "soon" to confirm details as an extension would be subject to "budgetary talks".
Labour TD Alan Kelly, who is the chair of the new Media Committee, also welcomed the scheme that day and gave his support to its extension.
'Savings being made all over the place'
Chair of the NCFA Maria Fleming said artists in receipt of the BIA have reinvested about 40% of the funding they received.
"The research and the wonderful qualitative report by Jenny Dagg that we hear and read today shows us that there definitely is an increase in productivity from the artists in receipt of it," Ms Fleming said on RTÉ's News at One.
"Most report that they reinvest approximately 40% of the funding that they receive back into their practice, whether that's through materials or training, attending other works or networking or marketing."
Ms Fleming said there were many benefits to this reinvestment, and that she expected the scheme to be expanded.
"Artists are reinvesting 40% ... that's going back into the economy as well. There's savings being made all over the place by things like artists investing in health insurance, in their own health, and in one case, in a pension scheme," she said.
"The level of precarity that most artists live in is probably unknown to a lot of people in the general population. But by supporting artists, we're going to actually be saving money down the line because we're all going to benefit.
"The NCFA are really strongly campaigning for the basic income to be retained, extended and expanded," she added.
